Hitch-mounted carrier system with ramp

ABSTRACT

A carrier system and method for assisting in handling cargo of a vehicle. A carrier container includes an interior storage space surrounded by a front side facing the rear of the vehicle, rear, left, right, and bottom sides, and an open top that allows access to the interior storage space with a lid that closes and opens the top. A carrier support structure mounted to the carrier container is inserted into the hitch of the vehicle and holds the top surface of the container flush with the cargo bed of the vehicle. The lid is opened to deploy a ramp stored inside which is anchored to the container so that it is flush with the top surface of the container and reaches the ground. The lid is closed and a bridge plate commonly hinged with the lid is deployed over any gap between the cargo bed and the container top, providing a continuous surface between the cargo bed and the ground for use by pets for ingress and egress of the vehicle and for handling cargo.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates generally to a carrier system and method usablewith a vehicle for handling cargo, and more particularly to a carriersystem and method that provides a level and contiguous surface with thebed of the vehicle and extends out the back of the vehicle for easierhandling of the cargo.

Vehicles are often used to transport cargo which can take many forms.For the purposes of this application, cargo is used to refer toinanimate items as well as animals. Cargo can range from smaller sizesto larger sizes. Many vehicles have a cargo bed extending from the backof the vehicle to a more forward position. Cargo may be placed on thebed for transport and if needed, secured in position with straps orother devices. The back of the vehicle has a door or doors which, whenopened, allow access to the cargo bed for handling the cargo as needed.Cargo may be both loaded onto the cargo bed or removed from the cargobed and the vehicle through the back door.

Full size vans, minivans, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), hatchbacks,delivery vans, utility vehicles, work trucks, pick-up trucks, andstation wagons are just a few examples of vehicles with cargo beds. Across-over utility vehicle example is the Audi® Q7 TDI. This vehicle hasa cargo bed that is accessible through the vehicle's rear door byopening the rear door in an upward direction. Cargo beds are alsosimilarly present in many non-motorized vehicles, such as U-Haul®trailers.

Regardless of vehicle size, loading and unloading cargo into thevehicle's cargo bed can be difficult. Heavy cargo can be hard to handle,especially if it is bulky. A vehicle with a protruding bumper mayobstruct an operator from standing straight up when accessing the cargobed which requires the operator to bend over to load something onto thecargo bed or to pull something off the cargo bed. Bending in this wayputs stress on the operator's lower back which may strain the lower backand or potentially cause more serious injury. A structure that allowsfor an exterior resting surface extending out the back of the vehiclethat is flush with the interior surface of the vehicle would helpfacilitate the moving of cargo in and out of the vehicle. The exteriorresting surface allows for cargo to be pulled and slid from inside theinterior cargo area of the vehicle to the exterior resting surfaceoutside of the vehicle before being lifted and carried away either fromthe left, from the right, or from the back of the vehicle.

This problem also applies to animals, such as pets, that are transportedin a vehicle. When transporting dogs in the car, young and healthy dogsare generally able to jump in and out of the car without significantrisk of injury; however older, injured, and smaller dogs cannot jump inand out of the car without significant risk of injury. Therefore, inmany cases it is necessary for the owner to manually lift the dog intoand out of the car to prevent injury from jumping. Picking up a dog fromthe ground to put it into the car and taking it from the car and puttingit down on the ground can be quite a burden for both the dog and theowner. This burden is magnified when the lifting process is done severaltimes per day and further magnified when the dog is heavy or squirms alot when being lifted.

Many people cannot lift their dogs because of age, injury, lack ofphysical strength, or other physical limitations, as well as fear ofinjuring themselves from lifting, fear of injuring the dog from droppingit during the lifting process, the difficulty of lifting a squirmingdog, or fear of dirtying their clothing from lifting the dog. It isparticularly difficult to lift and carry heavy dogs to and from theground because holding the dog requires the owner to be bent over whenlifting, which is very stressful on the lower back. A protruding bumpercan make it more difficult to get into the proper position to bothgently lift the dog from the cargo area as well as gently place the doginto the cargo area of a vehicle. Being out of proper position can makelifting more stressful for the back of the owner and more difficult toget a secure hold on the dog. It would be much better for both the ownerand the dog if the owner never had to lift the dog to get it into andout of the vehicle.

When transporting dogs in the car, older, injured, or smaller dogsshould not be allowed to jump in and out of the car because of thesignificant risk of injury. Older dogs develop progressive physicallimitations as they age which makes jumping more difficult anddangerous. Injured dogs cannot jump at all for obvious reasons, andsmaller healthy dogs cannot safely jump the distances necessary to getinto and out of the car. The risk of injury to a dog from jumping intoand out of a car increases exponentially as the height required to jumpinto and out of the car increases. Cars that are higher off the ground,such as larger SUVs, are much more difficult and dangerous for a dog tojump into and out of than cars that are lower to the ground, such asstation wagons. The risk of injury to a dog from jumping into and out ofthe car increases significantly as the dog's age increases.

Jumping into the vehicle requires the dog to explode off its back legsto gain the height necessary to get in the vehicle, which can put atremendous amount of stress on the dog's hips, knees, and kneeligaments. This type of explosive leap can have terrible degenerativeeffects on a dog's joints and ligaments over time, can lead tosignificant injuries at any time, and can greatly exacerbate existinginjuries. Jumping into the car can cause muscle tears, exacerbatearthritis, cause torn knee ligaments, cause hip injuries, and accelerateconditions such as hip dysplasia. Explosive leaps can be particularlydangerous from a cold start when the dog is not warmed up, as well asfrom a fatigued start when a dog is tired from exercising.

Jumping out of a vehicle requires the dog to sustain repeated high forcecompressions on the joints of the front paws, ankles, elbows, shoulders,neck, and back. This type of jumping can have terrible degenerativeeffects on the dog's joints and disks over time, can lead to significantinjuries at any time, and can greatly exacerbate existing injuries.Jumping out of the vehicle can cause muscle tears, exacerbate arthritis,cause ankle injuries, cause elbow injuries, cause shoulder injuries,cause back injuries, and cause neck injuries. Jumping can beparticularly dangerous from a cold start when the dog is not warmed up,as well as from a fatigued start when a dog is tired from exercising. Asa result, as dogs get older or are injured the simple task of jumpinginto and out of the car can become too physically demanding and canbecome a very dangerous health risk. Eliminating jumping into and out ofthe car prevents injuries to the dog, significantly increases the dog'squality of life, improves the dog's mental health, and greatly increasesthe dog's longevity. It would be much better for both the owner and thedog if the dog never had to jump to get into and out of the car.

If the dog cannot jump into and out of the car and the owner cannot liftthe dog into and out of the car, it can seem as though it is impossibleto take the dog anywhere. Therefore, some owners tend to leave theirolder or injured dogs at home alone as a result of the difficulties andrisks of getting the dog into and out of the car. For many pets, beingleft alone can result in depression and loneliness. Dogs would muchprefer to be with their owners in the car than left at home. Older orinjured dogs that cannot exercise or play as they used to, find theprocess of riding in a vehicle to be a very enjoyable and excitingexperience. Riding in the car can be one of an older or injured dog'slast great pleasures and greatly increases its quality of life. Also theability to take an older or injured dog to new places safely and easilygreatly enhances its quality of life.

Providing a better method to get a dog into and out of a vehicle wouldenable a pet owner to bring the dog on more trips, eliminate thepossibility of injury to the owner and the dog while getting the doginto and out of the vehicle, greatly increase the dog's quality of life,and enhance the dog's mental health. A structure used to get a dog intoand out of a vehicle that is relatively easy to deploy, use, and storewould make the pet owner more inclined to take the pet in the vehicle.Both pet and owner would derive benefit from such a system.

Ramps are well-known structures and are often used to facilitate theloading and unloading process for a vehicle. A ramp is typically definedas a flat supporting surface that can be tilted at an angle, with oneend higher than the other. It is used as an aid for raising or loweringa load and is also referred to as an inclined plane. The advantage ofusing a ramp for loading cargo into a vehicle is the ramp provides anangled flat surface from the ground to the interior cargo area of thevehicle. Creating an angled flat surface is particularly valuable in thecase of a dog that can walk on its own because the ramp allows the dogto walk into and out of the car which eliminates the need for the ownerto lift the dog into and out of the car as well as eliminates the needfor the dog to jump into and out of the car. This can be a tremendousadvantage for both pets and pet owners.

The ramp's slope angle has a big impact on how difficult it is for thepet to walk up and down the ramp, so reducing the slope angle is verybeneficial. The two most important factors that impact the ramp's slopeangle are the ramp length and the height difference between the ramp'stop resting surface and the ramp's ground resting surface. Increasingthe ramp length and reducing the height difference between the top andground ramp resting surfaces make using the ramp much easier for thedog. It is important to note that many times when using a ramp that isoriented perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of a car, there is acurb present which raises the ground height relative to the side of thecar above the ground height of the street where the car is parked. As aresult, when using a ramp perpendicularly to a vehicle when there is acurb present, the height difference between the top and ground restingsurfaces of the ramp can be significantly reduced which consequentlyreduces the ramp slope angle. This is a major benefit for using a rampperpendicularly to the vehicle.

Creating an angled flat surface with a ramp also allows cargo to berolled into a vehicle as opposed to lifted which allows the user tomanage much heavier loads at once and to do so much more quickly andsafely. Although rolling cargo up a ramp incline requires work, it istypically much less strenuous than lifting. The ramp slope angle has abig impact on the amount of work required to roll cargo up and down theramp so reducing the slope angle of the ramp is very beneficial. The twomost important factors that impact the ramp slope angle are the ramplength and the height difference between the ramp's top resting surfaceand the ground resting surface. Maximizing the ramp length andminimizing the height difference between the top and ground ramp restingsurfaces makes rolling cargo in and out of the vehicle easier.

Ramps come in many forms, many lengths, and have different designfeatures which lend themselves to different applications. Rampstypically have an angled top resting surface to make transitioning tothe ramp smoother as well as to facilitate a more secure restingprofile. Ramps typically have a height of several inches so that whendeployed on a flat surface the ramp surface is several inches above theflat surface. Typically, the part of the ramp that comes into contactwith a resting surface has a non-slippery surface such as one formed ofrubber which creates a higher friction coefficient between the ramp andthe surfaces with which it connects. This friction provides a gripbetween the ramp and the resting surfaces which tends to restrictrelative motion. Making sure the ramp does not move while in use can becritical for the safe use of a ramp. Risks that could lead to a rampmoving while in use are from the ramp tilting over to either side as aresult of not resting on a flat, secure, level, and stable surface, theramp sliding off the lower resting surface as a result of a slipperyconnection with the ground and/or upper resting surface, the rampsliding off the upper resting surface as a result of the absence of asafety lip on that resting surface, or the ramp falling to the ground asa result of a resting surface failure.

A ramp resting on flat stable surfaces at both the upper end and thelower end and used with a dog under general use conditions is secureenough so as not to move when in use. The forces of gravity and theforce of friction will keep the ramp steady. Under general useconditions with a dog it is not necessary to secure the ramp with anyspecial anchoring system, however a safety feature in the form of araised tongue on the outside perimeter of the resting platform at theupper end of the ramp eliminates the small risk of the ramp sliding offthe resting surface while in use. In some cases, such as when rollingcargo into the vehicle, the process of using the ramp may have more riskthan general use conditions with a dog and it is necessary to have asecure anchoring mechanism connecting the ramp and the resting surfaceto provide more robust protection against the ramp moving while in use.

When using a ramp with a vehicle there are several difficulties thatpresent themselves. These include the difficulty of finding a flat,stable, and secure resting surface in the vehicle for the ramp to reston, the difficulty of finding a way the ramp can be used perpendicularlyto the longitudinal axis of a vehicle in addition to parallel to thevehicle, the difficulty of finding a way to reduce the slope angle ofthe ramp, and the difficulty of finding a way to smooth the transitionto the ramp from the vehicle's interior surface. When using a ramp witha vehicle the rear door entrance is the only practical option foraccessing the cargo area. The back side doors of most cars do not openwide enough to allow a ramp with modest width to rest perpendicularly tothe car which makes it impossible to access a secure and stable restingsurface for the ramp inside the car. The front doors typically open wideenough for the ramp to rest perpendicularly however the top of the rampmust rest on the front seat of the car which is not a stable, level, andflat surface. Further, in order to exit the car from the front door, thedog must transition from the rear of the car through the area betweenthe front seats to the front seat and then to the ramp which can bedifficult and dangerous for older or injured dogs.

The rear door of a vehicle in most cases spans the width of the entirevehicle as well as opens either up or to the side which creates an openspace in the vehicle that is wide enough to accommodate the width of theramp and an open space behind the vehicle that is not blocked by thedoor itself. When using a ramp through the rear door opening of avehicle, the user rests the top of the ramp on the interior surface ofthe vehicle's cargo area and the rear of the ramp behind the vehicle onthe ground so that the ramp is resting out the back of the vehicleparallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. There are severaldrawbacks to this method. Firstly, if there is another car parked behindthe vehicle or another obstruction behind the vehicle, then it is notpossible to deploy a ramp out the rear of the vehicle. Secondly, whenthe ramp rests on the interior cargo surface of the vehicle the rampsurface is several inches above the interior cargo surface which createsa non-flush transition to the ramp and increases the ramp slope angle. Anon-flush transition and increased slope angle makes using the ramp muchmore strenuous as well as dangerous for the dog.

Thirdly, it is not possible to rest the ramp below the vehicle'sinterior surface height because of the interior construction of thevehicle. This makes it impossible to create a smooth transition to theramp as well as limits the ability to reduce the ramp slope angle.Fourthly, many times the surface at the entrance to the interior cargoarea of a vehicle is designed so that it is not completely flat orcompletely level in order to facilitate the loading and unloading ofcargo; however, this makes the resting surface less secure and less safefor using a ramp. Fifthly, the ramp can only be deployed when the reardoor is open and cannot remain deployed when the rear door is closed.Sixthly, the ramp cannot be used in a direction perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the vehicle at the back of the vehicle because therear of the vehicle does not have a stable ramp resting surface which isperpendicular to the back of the vehicle and accessible from the side ofthe vehicle.

A structure mounted to the back of the vehicle that includes secure rampresting surfaces on its side perimeter and enables a stable flatcontiguous exterior surface that extends out the back of a vehicle thatis flush with the interior of the vehicle would facilitate, enhance, andimprove the use of a ramp from the back of a parked vehicle. Such astructure would allow for a ramp to be deployed perpendicularly to theright, perpendicularly to the left, or parallel to the back of a parkedvehicle. Such a structure would provide a safe and easy transitionmethod from the interior surface of the vehicle to any of the potentialramp resting positions off the contiguous exterior surface. Such astructure would allow the ramp to be rested at a position below theinterior surface level so that the top surface of the ramp is level withthe interior surface of the vehicle which smoothens the transition tothe ramp from the interior surface and lowers the slope angle of theramp. Such a structure would allow the ramp to remain deployed whetherthe rear door is closed or open.

When storing a ramp in a vehicle while driving there are several keyissues that present themselves. The first issue is finding an easy,convenient, and non-obstructive place to store the ramp while driving.When storing a ramp in the vehicle cargo area it can either be storedlying flat on its top or stored standing up on its side. If the ramp isstored lying flat on its top it can easily take up over half the usablesurface area of the cargo area which significantly restricts the amountof space available for other cargo. When travelling with a dog or dogsin the vehicle they typically require a lot of open space to sit down,move around, and be comfortable. It may be that there is not enoughspace in the vehicle's cargo area to accommodate both the ramp lyingflat and a comfortable riding space for the dog or dogs. In addition, itmay not be safe for the dog to ride in the cargo area with a ramp lyingflat because the dog could hit or fall on the ramp while driving andhurt itself. Further, if the ramp is stored lying flat additional cargocannot be stored on top of the ramp because the ramp must but bereasonably accessible for deployment when the vehicle is stopped. If theramp is stored lying on its side, it does not take up nearly as muchsurface area as it does if it is lying flat however it must be very wellsecured so it does not fall over or move while driving as well as so itdoes not make extremely annoying rattling noises while driving. Securingthe ramp when it is lying on its side in the back of the vehiclerequires the user to bend inside of the vehicle and strap the ramp tothe side of the vehicle which can take time, be quite tedious, and bestrenuous on the lower back. Further, even with the best effort it canbe quite difficult to secure the ramp tightly enough to totally restrictits movement under the vibration and other forces that are typical in amoving vehicle. Further, when the ramp vibrates it can make veryannoying rattling noises.

The second issue associated with storing a ramp in the vehicle is theprocess of securing the ramp in the vehicle, unsecuring the ramp fromthe vehicle, lifting the ramp in the vehicle, lifting the ramp out ofthe vehicle, deploying the ramp for use, and breaking down the ramp forstorage. All of these can get quite cumbersome so anything that cansimplify, minimize, and ease these processes would be a benefit.

The third issue associated with storing a ramp in a car is that rampscan get dirty during use and storing the ramp in the car can transferthat dirt into the car. Some commercial trucks have a ramp and a rampstorage area built into the rear of the truck beneath the cargo bed. Theramp is merely pulled out of the back, the front end lifted into theanchor position, and in just a few minutes, the ramp is fully mounted tothe vehicle and ready for use. When the vehicle must be driven, the rampis simply unhooked from the anchor position and slid back into the rampstorage area. It is locked there and the vehicle may be driven. Thisstorage process can be completed in less than two minutes. However, manyvehicles, such as passenger vehicles including minivans and utilityvehicles do not have a built-in ramp system such as this. The ramp mustbe stored elsewhere. A structure that would allow for the easy storageof a ramp in a passenger vehicle as well as one that reduces the effortinvolved in deploying the ramp from a passenger vehicle would be ofbenefit.

There are many pastimes for which people use their vehicles includingcamping, tailgating, and hunting. When using a vehicle while engaging inpastimes, many people work or operate out of the backs of theirvehicles. When working or operating out of the back of a vehicle it isnecessary to have available surface space to place and rest gear,equipment, or any number of things. The interior cargo area of thevehicle can serve this purpose however there are several drawbacks withthis method. First, if the cargo area of the vehicle is fully loadedthen some of the cargo must be removed from the vehicle to make opensurface space available for working or operating. Removing the cargofrom the vehicle to make available surface space can be a hassle, can bephysically demanding, and requires cargo to be placed somewhere elsesuch as on the ground which could get the cargo dirty. Second, whenworking out of the back of a vehicle's cargo area, the surface can onlybe accessed from directly behind the vehicle and cannot be accessed fromthe side of the vehicle. Third, when working or operating out of avehicle's cargo area it is necessary to bend over and lean in to accessthings on the vehicle cargo area surface which can be strenuous on thelower back. This is magnified if there is a protruding bumper.

Fourth, many times when working or operating out of the back of avehicle the amount of surface space available for use is not enough tocover the requirements of the task at hand. Fifth, many times whileworking or operating out of the back of a vehicle a mess can be made oran accident can happen that would not be wanted in the interior surfaceof the vehicle. An accident or mess in the interior surface of thevehicle can be difficult to clean, can complicate using the space forother cargo, could make driving in the vehicle uncomfortable forpassengers because of odor, and may cause long term damage to thevehicle.

A structure that allows for a convertible stable contiguous exteriorsurface out the back of the vehicle that is flush with the interior ofthe vehicle would provide significant additional exterior surface spaceout the back of the vehicle that is easy to access and which could beused to facilitate working or operating from while engaged in pastimes.A structure that allows for a convertible contiguous exterior surfacethat extends out the back of the vehicle would allow users unrestrictedaccess to work and operate from the right side of the exterior surface,the left side of the exterior surface, and the back of the exteriorsurface. The ability to operate from all three sides of the surfacegreatly improves the utility and the usability of the surface as well aseases the need to bend over while accessing things on the surface whichreduces strain on the lower back. The more exterior surface space outthe back of the vehicle that is available to use when working oroperating then the greater the utility and usability of the exteriorsurface area. Additional surface extensions that allow for the expansionof the main contiguous exterior surface would be a benefit. The moreplacement options that are available for additional surface extensionsthen the greater the flexibility and use options when working oroperating from the back of a vehicle while engaged in pastimes. Aconvertible contiguous exterior surface could be hosed off and easilywashed which would be handy when managing messes and accidents.

Hence, those of skill in the art have recognized a need for an improvedsystem and method of loading and unloading cargo from a vehicle. A needis also recognized for an improved system of loading and unloadingliving cargo, including pets, into and out of a vehicle easily andsafely using a ramp, and of storing the ramp for ready access during theloading and unloading process. A need is further recognized for animproved system that allows cargo to be moved sideways into and out ofthe cargo bed of the vehicle, such as from a sidewalk. The presentinvention meets these needs and other needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly and in general terms, the present invention is directed to asystem and method for loading and unloading cargo from the rear of avehicle using an externally-mounted carrier container and a ramp thatprovide a continuous surface between the cargo bed of the vehicle and aground surface. In particular there is provided a carrier system for usewith a vehicle to assist with handling cargo of the vehicle, the vehiclehaving a cargo bed and an opening through which cargo may be removedfrom and loaded into the vehicle, the carrier system comprising acarrier container that includes an interior storage space surrounded bya front side facing the rear of the vehicle, a rear side, a left side, aright side, a top side, and a reinforced bottom side, one of the sidesof the carrier container being open and allowing access to the interiorstorage space, a carrier support structure having a first end configuredto connect to the vehicle and a second end connected to the carriercontainer, the carrier support structure configured to hold the carriercontainer in a selected position relative to the cargo bed of thevehicle, a bridge device pivotally mounted to the top side of thecarrier container and pivotable between a non-deployed configuration inwhich the bridge device rests on the top of the carrier containeroutside the opening of the vehicle, and a deployed configuration inwhich the bridge device pivots towards the back of the vehicle andprovides a bridge over a gap between the cargo bed of the vehicle andthe top of the carrier container, the bridge device having a width inits deployed configuration that spans the distance between the cargo bedof the vehicle and the top of the carrier container, and a ramp having aproximal end configured to engage the carrier container and a distal endconfigured to engage a ground surface thereby providing a sloped surfacebetween the top of the carrier container and the ground surface.

In more detailed aspects, the interior storage space of the carriercontainer is sized to receive and store the entire ramp when it is notdeployed. The ramp can extend from a stored and compact configurationtelescopically or have two hingedly-connected segments collapsiblebetween a compact configuration and an extended configuration; and theinterior storage space of the carrier container is sized to be largeenough to fit the ramp inside the interior storage space when the rampis in its compact configuration.

In other aspects, the carrier support structure comprises a heightadjustment mechanism positioned between the first and second ends of thecarrier support structure, the height adjustment mechanism operable tomove the carrier container relative to the first end and selectivelyposition the carrier container such that the top side of the carriercontainer is flush with the cargo bed of the vehicle. The first end ofthe carrier support structure comprises a tongue that is removablyinsertable into a receiver opening of a trailer hitch of the vehicle,and a plurality of support arms including a vertical support arm and anupwardly-angled support arm, all arms being connected between the tongueand the carrier container to hold and position the carrier containeradjacent the rear of the vehicle. In one embodiment, the tongue isremovably insertable into a hitch extender which is attached to thetrailer hitch of the vehicle.

Also in other detailed aspects, the carrier system further comprises acarrier container lid pivotally mounted to the carrier container betweena closed configuration in which the carrier container lid covers theopen side and an open configuration in which the carrier container liduncovers the open side thereby allowing access to the interior storagespace. The open side of the carrier container is the top side and thelid is disposed to cover the open top side, and further comprising acommon hinge by which the carrier container lid and the bridge deviceare pivotally mounted together to the carrier container at the top sidesuch that the lid is mounted closest to the open side of the carriercontainer and the bridge device is mounted on top of the lid, wherebywhen the bridge device may be pivoted to its deployed position at thecargo bed regardless of the position of the lid. In more detail, thecommon hinge comprises a hinge barrel that includes a lid hinge knuckleconnected to the carrier container lid, a bridge hinge knuckle connectedto the bridge device, and a container hinge knuckle connected to thecarrier container, the lid hinge knuckle, the bridge hinge knuckle, andthe container hinge knuckle being assembled together to form the hingebarrel, and a single hinge pin extends through the lid hinge knuckle,the bridge hinge knuckle, and the container hinge knuckle such that thecarrier container lid and the bridge hinge knuckle pivot coaxially aboutthe common hinge relative to the carrier container. In anotherembodiment, the bridge device is pivotally mounted to the carriercontainer separately from the lid being pivotally mounted to the carriercontainer.

In further detailed aspects, the system comprises a weight-supportingbrace mounted to the front side of the carrier container underneath thebridge device so that the bridge device rests on the brace when in thedeployed configuration, the weight-supporting brace providing supportfor the combined weight of the bridge device and of cargo moved acrossthe bridge device in its deployed configuration. A sill affixedexternally to a side of the carrier container, wherein the sill includesone of a protrusion and a recess, wherein the proximal end of the rampincludes the other of the protrusion and the recess, whereby theproximal end of the ramp is secured to the carrier container when theprotrusion engages the recess. The interior storage space of the carriercontainer includes a tray configured to receive and store the ramp inits compact configuration. The tray restricts the ramp movement whiledriving. The ramp includes retractable legs attached at its distal endwhich, when extended, raises the distal end up from the ground surfacethereby lessening the slope of the ramp in relation to the top of thecarrier container.

In yet further aspects, the open side of the carrier container is thetop side of the carrier container, wherein the carrier container lid andthe bridge device are pivotally mounted to the front side of the carriercontainer such that the hinged carrier container lid covers the top sidein its closed configuration and the hinged bridge device rests on thecarrier container lid in its non-deployed configuration. But in anotheraspect, the open side of the carrier container is one of the left andright sides of the carrier container, wherein the interior storage spaceof the carrier container includes a track affixed to one of the sides ofthe carrier container upon which the ramp is slidably disposed andaccessible through the open side, wherein the carrier container lid ispivotally mounted to one of the top and bottom sides of the carriercontainer and covers the open side in its closed configuration.

In another detailed aspect of the invention, there is provided a worksurface wherein the carrier container includes a mounting deviceconfigured to accept and secure the work surface in a fixed position inrelation to at least one of the left side of the carrier container, theright side of the carrier container, and the rear side of the carriercontainer such that the work surface is at one side of the carriercontainer and does not reside on the top surface of the carriercontainer, and a support device located and configured to extend underthe secured work surface to thereby provide vertical support to any workbeing performed on the work surface. The work surface is flush (at thesame level) as the top surface of the carrier container.

In method aspects of the invention, there is provided a method forhandling cargo of a vehicle, the vehicle having a cargo bed and a backopening through which cargo may be removed from and loaded into thecargo bed, the method comprising connecting the first end of the carriersupport structure to the vehicle such that the carrier support structureholds a carrier container in a selected position relative to the cargobed of the vehicle, positioning the carrier container adjacent thevehicle's opening, the carrier container including an interior storagespace surrounded by a front side facing the rear of the mobile, a rearside, a left side, a right side, a top side, and a bottom side, one ofthe sides of the carrier container being open and allowing access to theinterior storage space, the carrier container comprising a lid thatcovers the open side, and being supported by a carrier support structurehaving a first end configured to connect to the vehicle and a second endconnected to the carrier container, adjusting the height of the top ofthe cargo container so that it is flush with the cargo bed of thevehicle, deploying a bridge device pivotally mounted to the top of thecarrier container, the bridge device being pivotable between anon-deployed configuration in which the bridge device rests on thecarrier container outside the opening of the vehicle, and a deployedconfiguration in which the bridge device provides a bridge over a gapbetween the cargo bed of the vehicle and the top of the carriercontainer, the bridge device having a width in its deployedconfiguration that spans the gap between the cargo bed of the vehicleand the carrier container, deploying a ramp having a proximal end to thecarrier container to secure the ramp thereto wherein a top surface ofthe ramp at the proximal end is level with the top of the carriercontainer, the ramp having a distal end configured to engage a groundsurface, and storing the ramp in the inner storage space of the carriercontainer. The bridge device is wide enough to cover the gap at the sideedges of the cargo area, especially where the rear of the cargo area iscurved.

More detailed method aspects include the step of deploying the rampcomprises opening the carrier container lid, removing the ramp from theinterior storage space of the carrier container through the open side,unfolding the ramp to extend it to its full length, and engaging aproximal end of the ramp having one of a protrusion and a recess withthe carrier container having the other one of a protrusion and a recessthereby securing the proximal end of the ramp to the carrier container.In yet further aspects the step of deploying a ramp open comprisesopening either the left and right sides of the carrier container whichis the open side, pulling the ramp through the open side along a trackaffixed to one of the sides of the carrier container upon which the rampis slidably mounted.

Additional method aspects comprise opening the lid of the carriercontainer, removing the ramp from the carrier container, closing the lidof the carrier container; and deploying the ramp to engage the carriercontainer with the proximal end of the ramp such that a top surface ofthe proximal end of the ramp is flush with a top surface of the lid, andafter a back door of the vehicle has been opened to allow access to thecargo bed of the vehicle, pivoting the bridge device from the lid of thecarrier container into the cargo bed of the vehicle into its deployedconfiguration to provide a bridge over a gap between the top of thecarrier container and the cargo bed.

The features and advantages of the invention will be more readilyunderstood from the following detailed description that should be readin conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a carrier system for use in bothloading cargo onto the cargo bed of a vehicle and unloading cargo fromthe cargo bed. The carrier system is shown as comprising a carriercontainer, a carrier support structure having a tongue that is formed tobe inserted into the receiver opening of a vehicle hitch, a top hingedlid shown in a partially open/partially closed configuration, aremovable ramp mounted to the back side of the carrier container in aconfiguration parallel to the vehicle and parallel to the tongue, and arotatable bridge device shown in its deployed configuration, which inthis case is a bridge plate;

FIG. 1B is a view of the detail of lines 1B-1B drawn in FIG. 1Aillustrating a cross-sectional view of the sill and recess located aboutthe exterior of the carrier container for receiving the anchoring deviceof the ramp;

FIG. 2 is a perspective left-rear view of the carrier system of FIG. 1Ashowing it center-mounted to the rear of a vehicle with a bridge platedeployed to form a continuous and flush surface between the cargo bed'ssurface of the interior of the vehicle and the closed lid of the carriersystem, and showing a ramp anchored in the sill and recess at the rearside of the carrier container such that the ramp is parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the vehicle;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a carrier system of FIGS. 1 and 2 mountedshowing the ramp positioned in this embodiment at a ninety-degree angleto the longitudinal axis of the vehicle so that the ramp extendsperpendicular to the vehicle and the distal end of the ramp may rest ona sidewalk, also showing the top of the vehicle removed so that thebridge plate if providing a smooth surface across a gap between thecarrier and the cargo area of the vehicle;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of a vehicle with its back door lifted up and openshowing the carrier system of FIG. 3 mounted in the hitch of thevehicle, the support structure, the carrier container, and the rampshown in FIG. 3 mounted and anchored to the sill at the right-side ofthe carrier container perpendicular to the vehicle;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting a method of handling cargo of a vehicleusing a carrier system in accordance with aspects of the invention, inwhich the carrier is mounted to the vehicle, adjusted in height anddistance from the vehicle to result in the lid of the carrier beingflush with the vehicle bed and a gap that can be covered with the bridgeplate, and deploying a ramp;

FIG. 6 is a left side view of a utility vehicle with its rear door openand up to enable access to the cargo compartment, and a carrier systemmounted to the vehicle's hitch, with part of left side of the vehicleremoved so that a dog located inside the vehicle can be seen, thecarrier container storing a folded ramp shown in dashed lines, and withthe top of the lid of the carrier adjusted to be level with the cargobed's surface;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the carrier system of FIG. 6 showing thedeployment of the ramp anchored to the back surface of the carriercontainer in the sill, with the bridge plate and lid being pivoted inopposite directions to bridge the gap between the container and thecargo bed's surface and to close the container, respectively;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the carrier system of FIGS. 6 and 7 showing itin its fully deployed and operable configuration with the carriercontainer lid closed and flush with the cargo bed's surface, the rampanchored to the carrier container so that its top surface is flush withthe lid of the container, and showing a foldable ramp having legs at itsground-engaging (distal) end that are hingedly attached so that they maybe deployed to raise the ground end of the ramp when needed to therebyreduce the slope of the ramp relative to the lid of the carriercontainer;

FIG. 9 is a left side view of a carrier system in accordance withaspects of the invention in its traveling configuration in which thebridge plate and the carrier container lid are latched to the carriercontainer after the ramp has safely been stored within the carriercontainer, also showing a for securing the contents of the carriercontainer;

FIG. 10A is a perspective view of the front end of an embodiment of acarrier having separate hinges connecting to the bridge plate andcarrier container including gaps in the weight supporting brace forreceiving and supporting the bridge hinges;

FIG. 10B is a perspective view of the front end of an embodiment of acarrier having a double-function hinge used to connect three itemstogether, which in this case are the carrier container, the lid of thecontainer, and the bridge plate, for selective use;

FIG. 10C-10F are side elevational views similar to the embodiment ofFIG. 10B, except that the bridge support is moveable vertically toaccommodate for differences in height between the carrier lid topsurface and the cargo area surface.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a carrier systemin accordance with aspects of the invention where the ramp is configuredfor side deployment so that it will be perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 4, internal components shown indashed lines with the ramp being connected with internal slide rails ofthe carrier, an internal spring provides spring-loading to the ramp toassist in its slidable deployment of the ramp through the right side ofthe carrier container, also showing a hook-shaped guide slot in whichpivotable pins at the top end of the ramp are engaged to cause the uppersurface of the ramp to be flush with the top surface of the containerwhen fully deployed, the ramp being folded for storage in thisembodiment with the ramp hinge being visible;

FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view of the track and guide slot shownin FIG. 11 with pivotable end positioning pins to show the operation ofdeployment of the ramp so that its top end will be flush with the topsurface of the container;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the carrier system of FIG. 12 where theramp has been fully removed from the carrier container and has beendeployed into providing a slope from the ground surface to the topsurface of the carrier container, also showing the bridge plate beingdeployed;

FIG. 14 is a rear view of a variation of the carrier system of FIG. 1Ain which the carrier container has been mounted off-center from thelongitudinal center line of the vehicle using a different configurationof a carrier support structure, the support structure also including abike rack in this embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a top view of the carrier system of FIG. 14, illustrating theoff-center mounting of the carrier's container, a modification to thebridge plate to properly fit within the cargo area of the vehicle, andthe on-center mounting of the bike rack;

FIG. 16 is a side view of a variation in the construction of a bike racksupport strut with the carrier system of FIGS. 14 and 15, the figurealso showing the use of a hitch extender to locate the bike rack farenough to the rear to permit the rear door of the vehicle to be openedwithout obstruction;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a variation of a carrier system thatincludes a removable work surface placed on pivotable braces forming apart of the outer structure of the carrier container, the pivotablebraces being with support brace housing assemblies connected to thecarrier container;

FIG. 18 is a rear view of a carrier system showing work surfacepivotable braces mounted under the lid of the carrier container for usein supporting a work surface when needed;

FIG. 19A is a top view of the carrier system of FIG. 18 showing indashed lines the pivotable braces located on both right and left sidesand at the back side of the container that may be used with worksurfaces, in this case, actually showing support of a work surfacemounted at the rear;

FIG. 19B is a perspective view of the container lid of a carrier systemin which is slidably mounted a work surface, the work surface beingslidable rearward through an opening in the rear side of the carriercontainer lid and having a knob mounted at its rear surface that may begrasped by an operator to assist in movement of the work surface;

FIG. 19C is a rear view of a housing into which vertical support braceshave been retracted. The support braces are configured to pivot outwardsand under a work surface to provide vertical support to the worksurface;

FIG. 19D is a cross-sectional view of a part of FIG. 19C showing part ofthe housing of the braces and a mounting device located above the bracesconfigured to accept and secure a work surface in a fixed position inrelation to a side of the carrier container and above the braces so thatwhen the braces are pivoted outwardly, they will provide verticalsupport to the work surface;

FIG. 19E is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 19D but additionallyshows a part of the carrier container, its lid, and a secured worksurface with the vertical support braces;

FIG. 20 is a perspective rear view of a carrier system having acontainer comprising two storage compartments, the main one of which isshown in FIG. 1A and the second of which is at the bottom of thecontainer reachable by pivoting the main compartment to the rear tothereby open the second compartment; and

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the carrier system of FIG. 20 showingthe main compartment pivoted to the rear to thereby open the secondcontainer.

FIGS. 22A-22L are plan views (FIGS. 22E and 22F in partial explodedform) depicting the operation of the hinge assembly and the pivotingmovement of the bridge plate and carrier container lid.

FIGS. 23A-23D are plan views depicting the operation of the hingeassembly and the pivoting movement of the bridge plate.

FIG. 24 is a plan view depicting the operation of the hinge assembly andthe pivoting movement of the bridge plate and side door.

FIGS. 25A-25C are plan views depicting deployment of the telescopingramp from the side opening of the carrier storage area.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now in more detail to the exemplary drawings for purposes ofillustrating embodiments of the invention, wherein like referencenumerals designate corresponding or like elements among the severalviews, there is shown in FIG. 1A a carrier system 50 that is configuredto be mounted to the rear hitch of a vehicle. The carrier system showncan be used to more easily load and unload cargo from the vehicle towhich it is mounted, including pets.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the carrier system includes a carrier container 56supported by a carrier support structure 58. The carrier container 56includes an interior storage space 62 in which cargo can be stored. Theinterior storage space 62 is surrounded by a front side 64 of thecarrier container that faces the rear of the vehicle, a rear side 66, aleft side 68 and a top side 72. There is also a right side 70 and abottom side 74 (which is a support structure) which are not shown inthis drawing. The top side 72 of the carrier container is open in thisembodiment to allow a vehicle operator to store a ramp 110 and otheritems depending on the amount of room that is available. The carriercontainer is preferably metal, such as aluminum, but may be made of woodor any other sturdy, durable material, including certain plastics. Inone embodiment, the carrier container has a length between 3½-4 feet(106.7-122 cm), a width of 16½-17 inches (42-43 cm). The weight of thecontainer and support structure in one embodiment is 100 pounds (45.4kg). Preferably, the carrier container and support structure can supportup to 400 pounds (181.4 kg) of cargo weight when attached to the rear ofa vehicle.

The carrier support structure 58 has a first end 76 for connecting tothe rear of the vehicle, and a second end 78 that is connected to thecarrier container 56. The carrier support structure includes a tongue 80configured for connection into the receiver opening of a vehicle's hitch(not shown), and a plurality of support arms 84 connected between thetongue and the carrier container 56. The plurality of support armsinclude a vertical support arm 86 and two upward angled support arms 88used to support and hold the carrier container 56 in a selected positionadjacent the rear of the vehicle and relative to the cargo bed 54 of thevehicle. In this embodiment, the vertical support arm is connected atthe front 64 of the carrier container and the two angled support armsare connected at separate locations at the rear 66 of the bottom wall ofthe carrier container. This configuration may differ depending on theshape and weight of the carrier container and how much cargo weight itwill need to support. For example, more or fewer support arms may beused. The carrier support structure may be made of wood, metal, or anyother durable material that can support the weight of the carriercontainer, cargo stored in the carrier container, and cargo moved acrossthe top of the carrier container.

When the carrier support structure 58 is mounted to the receiver of thehitch of the vehicle, a gap is formed between the rear of the vehicleand the front 64 of the carrier container 56. On conventional vehicles,this gap may range from as small as one inch to as large as one footdepending on the size of the vehicle's rear bumper and on the amount ofcurve at the back of the car. To bridge this gap, the carrier system inaccordance with an aspect of the invention includes a bridge devicewhich, in this embodiment, is a bridge plate 94 as shown in FIG. 1A thatis pivotally mounted to the top side 72 (see FIG. 2) of the carriercontainer. The bridge plate in this embodiment comprises a metal platehaving a bevel 99 at its forward end 100 and side ends 101 for creatinga smoother transition surface between it and cargo surface 55 of a cargobed 54 (see FIG. 2) of a vehicle into which it is deployed. Although notshown clearly in this figure, the bridge plate is pivotable between astored configuration and a deployed configuration. The deployedconfiguration is shown in FIG. 1.

The purpose of the bridge plate 94 is to cover a gap that may existbetween the cargo bed in the vehicle and the top of the carriercontainer 56 so that there is a smooth and continuous surface on whichpets may walk and to slide cargo. Additionally, when the bridge plate isfully deployed, it may also serve as an extension to the cargo bed ofthe vehicle, thus providing more space for the storage of items. Forexample, during tailgating parties, vehicle operators may place itemsdirectly on the bridge plate, allowing them to easily access these itemswithout having to reach farther into the vehicle.

The bridge plate 94 may be made of wood, metal, or any other materialsturdy and durable enough to support the weight of objects moving acrossit. The bridge plate also preferably has a non-slip, roughened surface96 to prevent pets and other cargo from slipping off of it. Thisnon-slip surface may be formed, for example, by applying tape to the topsurface of the bridge plate.

The bridge plate width depends on the amount of curvature of the rear ofthe vehicle as well as the distance between the outside edge of the rearcargo door and the beginning of the interior cargo area of the vehicle.These factors vary by vehicle but a vehicle with a greater curvaturewill require a longer bridge plate as will a vehicle with a largerdistance between the outside edge of the rear cargo door and thebeginning of the interior cargo area of the vehicle.

The distance between the outside edge of the rear cargo door and thebeginning of the interior cargo area of the vehicle has to do withfactors of vehicle design such as the width of the door jamb of the reardoor, the width of the rubber insulation of the door jam, the width andlocation of the rear door locking mechanism, as well as vehicle featureslike an angled metal surface before the cargo area to facilitate theloading and unloading of cargo to and from the vehicle.

On an Audi® Q7 TDI for example, the bridge plate width is fourteeninches at its longest point. When the carrier is mounted as close to therear of the vehicle as possible and the bridge plate is deployed, thepart of the bridge plate that rests farthest inside of the cargo area isseven inches inside the cargo area of the vehicle. This is just insidethe angled metal piece that facilitates the loading and unloading ofcargo to and from the vehicle. The distance between the outside edge ofthe rear cargo door and the bridge plate in its stored and securedposition on the exterior platform is also seven inches. This distanceincludes one and one-half inches for the width of the bridge plate braceon the back of the storage carrier as well as an additional five andone-half inch gap from the outside edge of the bridge plate brace to theoutside edge of the rear cargo door.

If the carrier were to be mounted farther away from the vehicle then thebridge plate would have to be longer to accommodate the additionaldistance created by moving the carrier farther away from the vehicle. Ifa carrier were to have a top surface of eighteen inches in length whichwould assume a seventeen inch wide ramp as well as a one-half inchcarrier side wall width, then the bridge plate when in the securedposition on top of the carrier lid would cover fourteen inches of thetop surface of the carrier lid. In a preferred embodiment, the bridgeplate should cover approximately three-fourths of the top of thecontainer lid when it is in the secured position on top of the carrierlid and should enter into the cargo area of the vehicle approximatelyseven inches when in the deployed position. These dimensions and ratiosare variable of course, depending on the configuration of the cargo bayof the vehicle. Importantly, when deployed, the bridge plate must enterinto and rest on the floor of the cargo area a sufficient distance sothat cargo or animals can be transported over the bridge plate safely.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A, a weight supporting brace 98 ismounted to the front surface 64 of the carrier container 56. Forexample, welding, screws and/or adhesive may be used for securing thesupporting brace in the selected position. The supporting brace isplaced just underneath the bridge plate 94 so that the bridge plate willrest upon it when deployed. The use of the weight supporting brace willincrease the weight-bearing capacity of the bridge plate by transferringweight of cargo movement away from the hinge (not shown) of the bridgeplate to the top of the front surface 64 of the carrier container. Inone example, the weight supporting brace has a length that spans aportion of or the entire length of the carrier container. The weightsupporting brace is preferably metal, but may be wood or any othersturdy or durable material. In another embodiment, a weight supportingbrace includes gaps to receive the hinge(s) when the bridge plate isdeployed (see FIGS. 9 and 10A).

In one embodiment, the bridge plate 94 has beveled peripheral edges 99,as shown in FIG. 1, that facilitate movement of cargo into and out ofthe vehicle. When the bridge plate is pivoted onto the cargo bed of avehicle in its deployed configuration, a slight height differencebetween the surface of the cargo bed and the surface of the bridge platewill exist. In accordance with aspects of the invention, this heightdifference is equal to the thickness of the bridge plate. The bevelreduces that thickness at the edges of the bridge plate in a taperedform. The angle in the bevel 99 can vary with the intention being tocreate a smooth transition between the bridge plate and the cargo bed.As used herein, the term “flush” is meant to include the thickness ofthe bridge plate on the cargo bed's surface. In accordance with thenormal dictionary definition, flush as used herein is meant to include“having surfaces in the same plane; even.” Flush as used herein is alsomeant to include “Arranged with adjacent sides, surfaces, or edges closetogether.” The inventor believes that “flush” expresses theconfiguration of the bridge plate on the cargo bed's surface as shown inFIGS. 2, 3, and 8, inter alia. The bevel 99 also helps the operator grabthe bridge plate when it is in the non-deployed position on top of thecarrier lid.

The carrier container 56 includes a lid 102 that is pivotally mounted tothe carrier container. The carrier container lid serves as an accessdoor for the interior storage space 62 of the carrier container, and ispivotable between a closed configuration and an open configuration. Inthe open configuration, the lid is pivoted so that the open top side 72is uncovered to allow access to the interior storage space. In theclosed configuration, the carrier container lid covers the open top sideof the carrier container and protects cargo stored within the carriercontainer. The carrier container lid is preferably metal but may be madeof wood or any other sturdy material to support the weight of cargo,pets, and people that move across it. The carrier container lid also hasa top surface 104 that is rugged or otherwise non-slip to prevent petsand other cargo from slipping off of it, thus reducing the risk ofdamage or injury. This non-slip surface may be formed, for example, byapplying tape to the top surface of the carrier container lid.

In another embodiment, the top lid 102 may be latched and/or locked (notshown) to the carrier container 56 for safety and security reasons. Forexample, in the case where the vehicle is traveling at 65 mph and hasthe carrier container mounted to the back of it, substantial verticalforces may be applied to the carrier container in the case where thevehicle encounters a bumpy road. These vertical forces will tend tocause the top lid to open by swinging vertically upward and any contentsin the container could be ejected when the lid is open. Latching the lidto the carrier container will avoid loss of its contents during drivingconditions such as this. Locking the lid will avoid loss of contents dueto theft. Similarly, latching the bridge plate 94 to the lid will keepit safely stored while the vehicle is in motion. Vertical forcesgenerated by traversing bumpy roads will tend to also make the bridgeplate to swing vertically upward and then downward into the lid. Suchswinging activity can cause damage to the bridge plate, the lid, and thehinges of the bridge plate. Latches and locks are well known to those ofskill in the art and can include magnetic attachments and mechanicallatches and locks. Such devices also include the use of magneticdevices. These features are described in further detail below, inrelation to FIG. 9.

Another feature of the carrier system 50 shown in FIG. 1A is a ramp 110mounted to the carrier container 56. In order to lessen the need forlifting cargo, including animals, the ramp will allow the easiermovement of cargo into and out of the cargo bed of the vehicle.Additionally, it will provide a safe surface upon which pets may walkinto and out of the vehicle. The ramp provides a connection of thevehicle's cargo bed to the ground 106. The ramp may have differentwidths but if it is to be stored in the carrier container 56, itsdimensions cannot exceed the inner dimensions of the container. In theembodiment of FIG. 1A, the ramp is foldable in length so that it can betwice as long as the carrier container 56 is wide. A ramp that is usedfor loading and unloading cargo, some heavy some light, may be dislodgedfrom its desired location unless it is somehow anchored in place. If notanchored, a dangerous situation could develop if an animal is on theramp and sideways forces cause the ramp to slide. Additionally, if theground surface is slippery or not even, the weight vector of the animalascending or descending may cause the distal end of the ramp to slide ortwist pulling the proximal end of the ramp away from the carriercontainer, which may cause injury to the pet.

In consideration of the above, an embodiment of the invention uses ananchoring scheme for the proximal end of the ramp. As shown in FIGS. 1Aand 1B, the anchoring mechanism includes a sill 108 formed onto theleft, right, and rear sides of the carrier container, the sill having aramp anchor recess 114 for receiving a complementary protrusion 116 fromthe ramp. The recess results in a rim 115 located at the outer edge ofthe recess. The sill extends around the left 68, right 70, and rearsides 66 of the container in the embodiment shown and is configured toreceive and mate with one or more ramp anchor protrusions 116 extendingdownwardly from the proximal end 112 of the ramp. More specifically, thesill is mounted to or formed on the external wall of each of these threesides of the container 56. The sill is grooved at the top to form therecess having the outer rim with the recess comprising a complementaryshape with downward extending protrusions 116 of the upper end (proximalend) of the ramp.

In another embodiment, the anchoring mechanism comprises a protrusion orprotrusions formed into the top of the sill that have a complementaryshape to a groove formed into the bottom surface of the proximal end ofthe ramp. In one form for this second embodiment, the protrusion on thesill would comprise a ridge extending upward along the entire length ofall three sills (left, right, and rear sides of the container) with theproximal end of the ramp having a complementary groove in its bottom. Ineither embodiment, the anchoring mechanism secures the proximal end ofthe ramp to the carrier container due to the force of gravity pullingthe ramp downward into the recess or onto the sill protrusions.Additionally, the rim of the recess or the groove in the underside ofthe ramp opposes any tendency of the ramp to slide away from the carriercontainer. Other forms of anchoring mechanisms may be used that rely ongravity, latching, or other type of securement means.

The anchoring mechanism 108 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B ispositioned below the top surface 104 of the carrier container lid 102;for example, four inches below the top surface 104 of the carriercontainer lid. This offset of four inches in this embodiment is theexact depth of the proximal end 112 of the ramp, including its anchoringprotrusion. Therefore, when the ramp is mounted into the sill of theside of the carrier container, the top surface 130 of the ramp is flushwith the top surface 104 of the carrier container lid so that cargo oranimals moving across the top surface 104 will smoothly transition tothe ramp. The flush configuration of the proximal end of the ramp withthe top surface 104 of the carrier container lid is beneficial forloading and unloading aged or injured pets that walk on the ramp and thecarrier container as well as being beneficial for rolling cargo into andout of the vehicle because there will be a smoother transition betweenthe top of the ramp and the top surface of the lid of the container.

One of the main features of the carrier system 50 in accordance withaspects of the invention is that the anchoring mechanism 108 is formedon all three walls 66, 68, and 70 of the carrier container that facerearward and sideways. The proximal end 112 of the ramp therefore can beengaged with the anchoring mechanism at the left 68 or right side 70 ofthe carrier container to allow for side loading or unloading from theback of the vehicle, for example from a curb. The capability of sideloading is markedly beneficial for use with pets on streets dense withcars and having little parking availability or where there is a slope inthe roadway. This feature is also beneficial for package deliverytrucks.

The ramp 110 is preferably foldable, telescoping, or otherwisecollapsible so that it may be safely stored inside the interior storagespace of the carrier container 56 for future use. For example, the rampmay include two connected segments 124, 126 foldable along a centralhinge 128. When fully deployed, the ramp has a length that reaches thetop surface of the carrier container lid from the ground at anacceptable angle. In one embodiment, the ramp includes a ridged orotherwise roughened top surface 130 to provide traction for pets thatare walking the ramp. In another embodiment, the ramp may be made muchsmoother so that cargo can more easily be pushed up or down the ramp.The ramp is also flexible enough to support the weight of cargo movingalong it. In one embodiment, the ramp is 17 inches (43 cm) wide andbetween 7 and 8 feet long (213.4 to 243.8 cm), having a weight of 5pounds (2.3 kg), with the capability of supporting 400 pound (181 kg)loads without harmful deformation. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, theramp may also include side rails so that cargo does not inadvertentlyfall sideways off the ramp. The ramp may be made of bamboo, carbonfiber, or any other sturdy and durable material for handling cargoloads. A ramp such as this is available at Petstep International, Inc.at P.O. Box 700, Lake Bluff, Ill. 60044 USA.

It will be noted that the hinge 128 is mounted at the underneath surface125 of the ramp 110. This configuration results in keeping the ramp fromcollapsing when in use because the gravitational force of weight placedon the top surface 130 of the ramp will be translated sideways by thehinge resulting in force tending to keep the ramp unfolded. Other typesof extendable configurations are also possible. For example, atelescoping ramp may be used instead of a folding ramp.

Additionally, the distal end 118 of the ramp 110 that engages the groundsurface 106 may comprise a device that resists sliding. For example, thedistal end of the ramp may include rubber blades or other types ofstoppers 120 that have a higher coefficient of friction and tend to keepthe distal end of the ramp where it was placed upon the ground.Additionally, as will be discussed in conjunction with the embodiment ofFIG. 8, the ramp includes foldable legs 140 or telescoping legs (notshown) at its distal end 118 for the user to selectively adjust theslope of the ramp by raising or lowering the distal end.

Vehicles come in different shapes and sizes and consequently the carriersystem 50 may be closer to the ground for some vehicles than with otherswhen mounted to the vehicle's hitch. The distance between the level ofthe cargo bed and the trailer hitch will vary from vehicle to vehicleand can vary in some cases from 2 inches to 26 inches. Preferably, thecarrier container 56 is positioned so that the top surface 104 of itslid is flush with the cargo bed. As shown in FIG. 1A, the carriersupport structure 58 preferably includes a height adjustment mechanism131 that the vehicle operator can use to raise or lower the height ofthe carrier container from the ground such that the top surface 104 ofthe carrier container lid with the bridge plate are flush with the cargobed of the vehicle. In particular, the height adjustment mechanism ispositioned between the first end 76 and second end 78 of the carriersupport structure 58, and is operable to vertically move the carriercontainer relative to the tongue 80 at the first end. The vehicleoperator can use the height adjustment mechanism to selectively positionthe carrier container in relation to the cargo bed.

In another embodiment, a horizontal adjustment mechanism 133 is includedthat allows for moving the carrier container horizontally; i.e., towardsthe rear of the vehicle or away from the rear of the vehicle. Thisadjustment mechanism is useful to adjust the carrier container so thatthe bridge plate is optimally utilized. For example, where the bridgeplate does not fully cover the gap between carrier container and thecargo bed when deployed, or when the bridge plate extends too far intothe cargo bed, the horizontal adjustment mechanism can be used to remedythese problems. Alternatively, the bridge plate can be curved toaccommodate cargo beds having a curvature due to the curved rear end ofthe vehicle. Alternatively, a trailer hitch extender (discussed belowwith respect to FIG. 16) can be used instead of, or in addition to, thehorizontal adjustment mechanism. Additionally another alternative is toreplace the bridge plate with one that is either longer if it does notfully cover the gap, or shorter if it extends too far into the cargobed.

Various height adjustment mechanisms may be used including an ordinarytelescoping mechanism with a screw lock, a pneumatic mechanism, a pinsystem in which an upper shaft has a number of closely-spaced holesdrilled through it with the shaft resting in a sleeve also with a holedrilled completely through the sleeve, and a pin used to set the heightof the carrier container by moving the shaft to the desired height andinserting a pin through the sleeve and the nearest shaft hole. Anenlarged clip may then be placed through a hole drilled through thedistal end of the pin to retain it in position so that it cannot bepulled out of the sleeve and shaft holes. Many other height adjustmentmeans are available.

Likewise various horizontal adjustment mechanisms may be used. In oneembodiment, the standard type of hitch adjustment may be used where thetongue 80 of the carrier support structure 58 has multiple holes drilledthrough it. It is then inserted into the hitch receiver 82 the distanceneeded that will permit the bridge plate to make contact with the cargobed of the vehicle. A pin is then inserted sideways through the walls ofthe hitch, through the closest hole of the tongue and the pin has a clipinserted through a hole drilled in its end to retain it in position inthe hitch and hold the carrier support structure in position.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it will be seen that a carrier system 50 hasbeen mounted to the rear 60 of a vehicle 52 and is in position. Forpurposes of reference, the figure shows a centerline or longitudinalaxis 136 of the vehicle. The carrier container 56 is at the correctlevel so that the top surface of its lid is flush with the cargo bed 54of the vehicle. The bridge plate 94 has been pivoted into contiguousposition with the cargo bed and the ramp 110 has been deployed intocontact with the ground 106. With the configuration shown, the carriersystem 50 may be used to assist with the handling of the vehicle's cargo53 into and out of the cargo bed 54. Although not shown, the carriercontainer 56 is connected to the rear 60 of the vehicle 52 by thecarrier support structure 58 having a tongue that has been inserted intothe hitch of the vehicle (see FIG. 1A).

When the carrier support structure is mounted to the trailer hitchsocket 82 of the vehicle, a gap 90 is formed between the rear of thevehicle and the carrier container. On conventional vehicles, this gapmay range from as small as one inch (2.54 cm) to as large as one foot(30.48 cm) (depending on the size of the vehicle's rear bumper 92. Wherethe rear end of the vehicle is curved, the gap may be smaller in themiddle of the carrier container and progressively larger towards thesides of the vehicle (e.g., 1.0 to 24 inches). To bridge this gap, thecarrier system includes a bridge plate 94 as shown in FIG. 1A that ispivotally mounted to the top side 72 of the carrier container. Thebridge plate 94 is easily pivoted between a non-deployed configuration,in which the bridge plate rests on top of the carrier container, and adeployed configuration, in which the bridge plate covers and provides abridge over the gap between the cargo bed of the vehicle and the carriercontainer. When the bridge plate 94 is thus deployed, cargo 53 may beloaded into and out of the vehicle across the bridge plate.Additionally, when the bridge plate is fully deployed, it may also serveas an extension to the cargo bed of the vehicle, thus providing morespace for the storage of cargo in the vehicle. For example, duringtailgating parties, vehicle operators may place cargo directly on thebridge plate, allowing them to easily access the cargo without having toreach into the vehicle.

The bridge plate 94 is pivotally mounted to the carrier container suchthat when the bridge plate is not being used, the bridge plate rests ontop of the carrier container lid. When the bridge plate 94 is deployedand the carrier container lid 102 is closed, the two components togetherprovide a smooth loading surface 122 extending continuously from theramp to the vehicle's cargo bed. In this way, cargo 53 may be loaded andunloaded into and out of the vehicle from the ground using the ramp.Additionally, the continuity of the surface prevents pets from fallingin the gap between the rear of the vehicle and the carrier containersystem, thus reducing risk of injury.

FIGS. 2-4 illustrate the carrier system 50 of FIG. 1A connected to therear of a vehicle 60 in its fully deployed state. Various types of cargo53, including pets such as the dog 57 shown in FIGS. 4, 6, 7, and 8, maybe loaded or unloaded through the opening 160 in the rear 60 of thevehicle using the carrier system. The position of the carrier container56 is adjusted using the height adjustment mechanism (131, see FIG. 1A)such that the top surface 104 of the carrier container lid 102, the topsurface 96 of the bridge plate 94, and the ramp surface 130 at the upperend of the ramp together form a continuous surface between the cargo bedof the vehicle and the ground. The cargo may be loaded and unloadedbetween the cargo bed of the vehicle and the ground using the ramp. Theramp may extend from the rear side 66 of the carrier container as shownin FIG. 2, or the left 68 or right sides 70 of the carrier container.FIGS. 3 and 4 show views of a ramp mounted to the right side of thecarrier container.

FIG. 5 describes a preferred embodiment of a method 200 using thecarrier system 50 of FIG. 1, the use of which is illustrated in FIGS.6-8. According to the method shown in FIG. 5 and with reference to FIG.6, the carrier container is positioned adjacent the rear of the stoppedvehicle, and the carrier support structure 58 is connected to thevehicle by insertion of the tongue 80 of the carrier support structureinto the trailer hitch socket 82 at the rear of the vehicle 210. Thecontainer lid 102 and the bridge plate 94 are mounted to the carriercontainer 56 such that the bridge plate rests on top of the closedcarrier container lid. The ramp 110 may also be stored in its compact orfolded configuration in the interior storage space 62 of the carriercontainer.

One embodiment uses a hitch to attach the carrier system 50 to thevehicle as mentioned above. It is important that a hitch with sufficientcapacity be used. In this use of the hitch, the tongue weightrequirement will far surpass the gross trailer weight specification ofthe hitch. In fact, there will be very little gross trailer weight aswind friction may be the only load pulled. The following is a chart ofhitch specifications from the Society of Automotive Engineers:

Hitch Class Tongue Weight Class I 200 pounds (79 kg) Class II 300 pounds(118 kg) Class III 600 pounds (236 kg)

If only the ramp is stored in the carrier container, the carrier system50 may apply up to 45 pounds (17.7 kg) of weight to the hitch. If anoperator of the vehicle weighs 185 pounds (72.8 kg) and were to climb ontop of the carrier container, the total weight would be 230 pounds (90.6kg). This immediately takes the requirement to a Class II hitch.However, if the operator of the vehicle has a dog that weighs 80 pounds(31.5 kg) and both are on the carrier container simultaneously, theweight would be 310 pounds (122 kg). This moves the hitch requirementinto Class III. The operator must also be aware that the vehicle maximumweight limit is not exceeded with passengers, cargo, and the carriersystem.

Returning to FIG. 5, the top 104 of the carrier container lid is thenchecked to determine if it is flush with the cargo bed of the vehicle220. If the carrier container is too high or too low relative to thecargo bed, the operator adjusts the height of the carrier container 230using the height adjustment mechanism until the top surface 104 of thelid is flush with the cargo bed. If the carrier container is correctlypositioned such that the top surface of the carrier container lid isflush with the cargo bed of the vehicle, the lid of the carriercontainer is opened 240, the ramp is removed from the interior storagespace of the carrier container 245, and the ramp is deployed andanchored to the carrier container 250, an example of which isillustrated in FIG. 7. Here, FIG. 7 shows the carrier container lid 102being rotatably opened so the collapsed ramp 110 from the interiorstorage space of the carrier container may be accessed. The ramp isdeployed, for instance by unfolding the ramp along its hinge, or in thecase of a telescoping ramp, by extending the ramp. The deployed ramp 110is then engaged at its proximal end 112 to the anchoring mechanism 108of the carrier container, and secured as described above. After thecarrier container lid is closed, the top surface of the carriercontainer lid and the ramp form continuous surfaces with the ground.

Next, the bridge plate is deployed across the gap between the rear ofthe vehicle and the carrier container 260, as illustrated in FIG. 8.This step 260 can occur before or after the ramp is deployed 250. Thebridge plate 94 is checked to determine if its length spans the distancebetween the rear of the vehicle and the carrier container and thuscompletely covers the gap 270 (even when the rear end of the vehicle iscurved). In the event where the bridge plate does not completely coverthe gap, the carrier support structure may be adjusted to shorten thedistance between the rear of the vehicle and the carrier container 280,for example, using the horizontal adjustment mechanism or replacing thebridge plate with one that is shorter or longer as needed. If the bridgeplate is correctly deployed, a continuous surface is formed between thecargo bed and the ramp top surface, and cargo may thereafter be loadedinto and unloaded from the cargo bed across the bridge plate.

FIG. 7 illustrates a standard ramp 110, however a ramp may optionallyinclude foldable legs 300 as shown in FIG. 8. A purpose of the foldablelegs is to control the slope angle α of the ramp relative to the carriercontainer lid 102 to enable older or injured animals to more easilyascend or descend the ramp. Deployment of the legs will naturallyrequire older and injured animals to have to step or jump up onto thedistal end of the ramp before the ramp. However, compared to thedifficulty of climbing a steeper slope, stepping or jumping up onto thedistal end of the ramp propped up by the legs is relatively easier forthese animals. Telescoping legs may also be used in lieu of foldablelegs.

As further shown in FIG. 8, the foldable legs 300 are hingedly attachedto the distal end 118 of the ramp and are stowed under the ramp when notin use. To control the ramp's slope angle, the legs pivot downwardly toraise the height of the distal end of the ramp relative to the groundsurface 106. As the legs are unfolded downwardly, the height of the ramprelative to the ground is increased until the ramp is positioned asdenoted in dashed lines at 110′. The fully deployed legs are denoted indashed lines as 300′. The increase in the height of the distal endreduces the ramp's slope angle to β, which is less than its originalslope angle α and thus allows older or infirm animals to more easily usethe ramp. When the legs of the ramp are propped on a curb, theadditional height provided by the curb lessens the slope angle of theramp even more. The foldable or telescoping legs 300 preferably have alength between 3.0 to 4.0 inches (7.62 to 10.16 cm) when fully deployedor extended, but may have a length even as large as 7.0 to 8.0 inches(17.8 to 20.3 cm). It has been found that dogs are more able to step upa small distance of 7.0 to 8.0 inches (20.3 cm) than they are to walk upa 6.0 foot (1.8 m) ramp having a steeper slope.

In a method in accordance with aspects of the invention, the operator ofthe vehicle would bring it to a stop at a selected position. Adetermination would then be made as to whether the ramp would bedeployed in a direction parallel to the vehicle or in a perpendiculardirection to the vehicle. If an animal is involved, the early stepswould be for the operator to unlock the carrier container. Then theoperator will open the carrier container lid sufficiently far so thatthe operator can grasp and remove the ramp from the container. Thecontainer lid stays open automatically until it is intentionally closedby the operator. The ramp is unfolded to achieve its full length. Thelid may then be closed. The ramp is mounted to the sill of the carriercontainer in the desired orientation to the vehicle.

The back door or doors of the vehicle may then be opened and the bridgeplate pivoted into position onto the cargo bed. If the bridge plate doesnot interact with the cargo bed where desired, the position of thecarrier container may be adjusted upwards or downwards so that thecarrier container lid and bridge plate are flush with the cargo bed.Likewise, if the bridge plate does not make the desired contact with thecargo bed; i.e., there exists a gap between the cargo bed and the bridgeplate, or the bridge plate is deployed too far into the cargo bed, thedistance from the carrier container to the cargo bed may be adjusted atthe hitch or by some other adjustment approach. The animal is thencoaxed on a leash out of the cargo bed onto the bridge plate, onto thecarrier container lid, and down the ramp to the ground surface.

In the case where the cargo comprises inanimate objects, they may bepulled by someone standing at the bumper of the vehicle towards thecarrier container lid or may be pushed towards the carrier container lidby somebody inside the cargo bed of the vehicle. They are then easeddown the ramp to the ground surface.

When all cargo has been removed from the cargo bed, the ramp isdisengaged from the sill of the carrier container and is folded. The lidof the carrier container is opened, and the folded ramp is placedsecurely into the carrier container for storage. The carrier containerlid is then closed, the bridge plate is pivoted into contact with thelid of the carrier container, and locked into position in relation tothe carrier container. The back door or doors of the vehicle may then beclosed.

FIGS. 9, 10A and 10B illustrate exemplary hinge connections by which thecarrier container lid 102 and the bridge plate 94 are pivotally mountedtogether to the front side 64 of the carrier container 56. In theembodiment of FIGS. 9 and 10A, hinges 312 connecting the bridge plate 94and carrier lid 102 provide pivoting capability to the bridge platerelative to the carrier container lid, and hinge(s) 314 connecting thecarrier container lid and the carrier container 56 provide pivotingcapability to the lid relative to the carrier container. Gaps 316 in thesupporting brace 98 receive and support hinges 312 when the bridge plateis deployed.

In the alternative example of FIG. 10B, a single hinge 301, common tothe carrier container lid, the carrier container front side, and thebridge plate, provides pivoting capability to the carrier container lidand the bridge plate relative to the carrier container. The common hinge301 illustrated in the figures is a three-leaf hinge including a hingebarrel 302 formed by a lid hinge knuckle 304 connected to the carriercontainer lid, a bridge hinge knuckle 306 connected to the bridge plate,and a container hinge knuckle 308 connected to the carrier container. Asingle hinge pin 310 extends through the knuckles such that the carriercontainer lid and the bridge hinge knuckle pivot coaxially about thecommon hinge. The weight supporting brace 98 may include gaps 312 as inFIG. 10A, or be a solid piece as shown in FIG. 10B. When the bridgeplate is rotated 180° and fully opened, it will be supported by lip 307on the support brace 98 and the floor of the cargo area surface.Depending the weight limit of the bridge plate, the robustness of thehinge mechanism connecting the bridge plate to the carrier lid, and therobustness of the connection of the hinge mechanism to the bridge plateand the carrier lid, it may not be necessary to have a bridge platesupport brace 98.

In FIGS. 10C-10F, it is possible that bridge support 309 on the outsideperimeter of the support brace 98 has mechanical functionality whichallows the bridge support 309 to have a vertical range of motion. Themechanical vertical range of motion would allow the bridge support 309to be adjusted up and down in order to compensate for the difference inheight that is possible if the carrier lid top surface 102 and thevehicle cargo area surface are not at the identical height. The bridgesupport 309 securely connects to the support brace 98 with a rail systemor other mechanical mechanism (not shown) that allows the bridge support309 to slide up and down the outside surface of the bridge plate supportbrace as well as robustly lock in place once the desired height isselected. The top lip 307 of the bridge support 309 would have a roundedtop so that it would be functional whether the cargo area of the vehicleis above the carrier lid top surface or below the carrier lid topsurface. This would allow for the bridge plate support brace to remainfunctional for several of the embodiments even if the carrier lid topsurface and the vehicle cargo area surface are not at the identicalheight which would increase the usability of those embodiments.

Although FIGS. 9 and 10A and 10B illustrate specific examples of ahinge, other hinge configurations and connecting configurations may beused. This is but one example. The use of a hinge connection for thebridge plate 94 allows for the bridge plate to be deployed and stowedrelatively quickly because the hinge acts as a securing mechanism, whichis preferred when loading and unloading restless animals. Where speed isnot an issue, however, an unhinged configuration for the bridge platemay be used. In this configuration, the bridge plate 94 is connected tothe front side 64 of the carrier container when deployed. For example,the bridge plate and carrier container lid may include magneticattachments that join the two components together using magnetic forces.The bridge plate rests upon the weight supporting brace 98 for support,and its top surface 96 lies flush with the top surface 104 of thecarrier container lid 102. Another configuration to secure a loosebridge plate is to use an interface mounting lip at the front of thecontainer that accepts the bridge plate and assists in positioning andholding it in position. The loose bridge plate may be stored in theinterior storage space 62 of the carrier container 56 when not in use.

Also shown in FIG. 9 is a latching mechanism 320. It is shown in blockform because such a latch can take many different configurations. Inthis embodiment, the latch bar 322 is mounted to the upper portion ofthe left side 324 of the carrier container and engages the left side 326of the bridge plate 94. By latching the bridge plate to the carriercontainer, the intervening carrier container lid is sandwiched betweenthe two and is also immobilized. In another embodiment, a self-latchingmechanism may be used. Whenever the bridge plate is pivoted to the fullynon-deployed configuration shown in FIG. 9, a pin of the bridge platewill move into engagement with the latch which will automaticallyreceive the pin and close around it, firmly locking the bridge plate andcarrier container lid in the stowed configuration. Also shown in FIG. 9is a locking mechanism 340 comprising a locking ring 342 mounted to thecarrier container rear side 66, and a locking strap 344 mounted to therear edge 346 of the carrier container lid 102. Although not shown, thislocking system functions in a common way. A slot (not shown) is formedin the strap and the ring protrudes through it. A lock 348 is engagedwith the ring to secure the strap in place which in turn secures thebridge plate 94 and the carrier container lid 102 in place. It will beobvious to those skilled in the art that many other arrangements forlocking the carrier container lid in a closed position on the carriercontainer are possible including those where that make it much moredifficult to break the lock mechanism. For example, the bridge plate 94may be magnetically coupled to the lid 102, the magnetic force beingsufficient to hold the bridge plate secure even during highway speeds oron rough roads. Also, the latch mechanism may be internal in the carriercontainer.

Turning now to FIGS. 11-13, another embodiment of a carrier system 400in accordance with aspects of the invention is shown. FIG. 11 shows inan exaggerated and schematic form the folded ramp 110 being pulled fromits interior 62 storage position out the open right side 70 of thecarrier container 56. Alternatively, a telescoping ramp may be used. Atrack slot 402 is formed in the rear wall 66 of the carrier containerand another track slot 402 is formed in the front wall 64 of the carriercontainer. In this embodiment, the right side of the carrier containeris open and has a lid 102 for covering the open right side. In thisfigure, the lid has been pivoted downward to be out of the way of themovement required to deploy the ramp. In another embodiment, the openside may be the left side 68 and the lid may be mounted over that side,or the rear side 66 with the lid mounted over that side. The carriercontainer lid 102 is pivotally mounted to the bottom side of the carriercontainer with a hinge 103 as depicted in FIG. 11 such that, whenclosed, the carrier container lid covers the open side and protects thecargo contained within. Although a sill 108 is not shown in thisembodiment, the carrier container can also include a sill similar tothat depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B to anchor the deployed ramp 110. Also,the two slots 402 are shown as being formed in walls of the carriercontainer. This is only for clarity of illustration. It is anticipatedthat such guide slots would be formed in an internal track so that thewalls of the container may be solid to prevent rain and otherenvironmental contaminants from reaching the inside of the container.

FIG. 12 illustrates positioning guide slots 402 in further detail. Theslots 402 in this embodiment are opposing each other from opposing walls64, 66 in the container 56 and each engages a respective guide pin 404mounted at the proximal end 112 of the ramp 110. The guide pins arelocated at the ends of guide pin brackets 406 that are mounted atopposite sides of the proximal end of the ramp. The angle of the bracketmounting to the ramp is predetermined so that when the ramp is deployedfrom the container, the guide pins will hold the proximal end of theramp in which the ramp is flush with the top surface 72 of the container56.

The guide pin brackets each with a guide pin at its end have a size thatis long enough to allow the entire ramp to be pulled out of thecontainer 56 so that it can be unfolded and reach a ground surface.However, the guide pins are still within the guide slots at that time.Once the ramp has been unfolded and is in contact with the ground, theproximal end of the ramp is then raised so that the guide pins follow avertical portion 408 of the slot. This vertical portion of the slotcauses the proximal end of the ramp to be raised above a flush positionwith the top surface 72 of the container. The ramp is then pushed towardthe container and the guide pins follow a short “L” section in which theproximal end of the ramp is brought closer to the top surface of thecontainer and then the guide pins drop into locking sections 410 of theslots. The guide pins are not restricted in movement away from thecontainer. The proximal end of the ramp each is not flush with topsurface of the container. Because guide pins have been used, the ramphas freedom to be rotated up or down for placement purposes. Variousdetails of this guide and locking system may be changed to achieve thedesired mounting of the proximal end of the ramp with the top surface ofthe container. Those skilled in the art may recognize various changesthat may be made.

The carrier system 400 of FIGS. 11 and 12 includes a spring mechanism390, such as a coil spring, that is configured to assist an operator inpulling the ramp 110 out of the open side 70 of the carrier container56. In the example shown in FIG. 11, a first end 392 of the coil spring390 is attached to the interior surface 393 of the left side 68 of thecarrier container, and a second end 394 of the coil spring is attachedto the top segment 124 of the ramp 110. When the lid 102 of the carriercontainer is opened, a spring force provided by the coil spring pushesthe ramp out the open right side of the carrier container, facilitatingits deployment. Other spring mechanisms, configurations, andoperator-assisting features may exist that can be used.

FIG. 13 shows the ramp storage and deployment system of FIGS. 11 and 12in which the ramp has been deployed and has its proximal end 112 flushwith the top surface 72 of the container 400. When the loading orunloading has been completed, the proximal end of the ramp is lifted,pulled away from the container, and allowed to lower. The ramp 110 isthen folded and it is pushed back into the container against the springforce (see FIG. 11). Once the ramp is completely in the container, thelid 102 is pivoted upwards to the closed position and it locks the rampwithin the container.

In the figures discussed above, the carrier system (50, 400) has beencentered on the longitudinal axis 136 at the rear of the vehicle 52 (forexample, see FIGS. 2 and 4). FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate an alternateembodiment in which the carrier system 500 is mounted to the hitch suchthat it is off-center towards the right side of the vehicle 52 therebyleaving space on the left side of the vehicle for the operator to accessthe cargo bay. The carrier system 500 can also be mounted such that itis off-center towards the left side of the vehicle. The off-centermounting configuration is shown for a carrier container that is somewhatsmaller than that shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 and therefore it occupies lessspace at the rear 60 of the vehicle. As a result, the off-centermounting configuration provides additional room at the rear of thevehicle for vehicle operators to use for another purpose or purposes.The carrier container in this embodiment is connected to the same hitch82 of the vehicle 52 as the embodiments discussed and shown in previousdrawings. Because this embodiment is mounted off center or to the sideof the hitch, it is referred to below in some instances as being sidemounted, or having a side mount. However this “side mount” term may alsorefer to a structure wherein a support arm from the support structureengages a side of the container for mounting purposes. It is then “sidemounted” to a side of the container.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 14 and 15, the carrier container 56 has beenside mounted to the vehicle 52, and the carrier support structure 58includes an upward angled support arm 88 extending into supportingcontact with the carrier container. In FIGS. 14 and 15, the supportingarm 88 is connected with the bottom 74 of the container. However inanother embodiment, the support arm may be connected to either the left68, right 70, or front sides 64 of the container (not shown). Varioussupport connections are possible. The support arm 88 may be bolted tothe container, or otherwise attached in a sturdy manner.

In the off-center configuration of the carrier container shown in FIGS.14 and 15, the bridge plate 94 has been shaped with a notch 502 to fitinto the cargo area so that it does not collide with the inner rightside of the vehicle 52 during deployment. Specifically, the modifiedbridge plate includes two segments, namely a cargo bed segment 504 and abridge segment 506 separated by the notch 505. The cargo bed segment 504is cut to rest fully on the cargo bed 54 of the vehicle. The bridgesegment 506 connects to and spans the length of the top surface 104 ofthe carrier container as in the center-mounting configuration. In thisway, the modified bridge plate covers any gap between the upper surface104 of the carrier container lid 102 and the cargo bed 54, yet can beoff center to the vehicle and still engage the cargo bed.

FIGS. 14, 15, and 16 show the carrier system 500 having a bicycle rack508 attached to the carrier support structure 58. In this embodiment,the bicycle rack is center mounted with a bike rack support arm 510formed on the center mounted tongue 512 and terminating in the rack 514.In this embodiment, the bicycle rack has two prongs 516 on which bikesmounted and secured for travel. So that there is adequate room for thecontainer and the bicycles, the bicycle rack 508 is positioned to therear of the container. In FIG. 14, the bicycle rack does not interferewith mounting a ramp to the rear side 66 of the carrier container.However if bicycles were present and mounted onto the rack, a ramp couldstill be mounted to the carrier container, but at its right side 70.

Turning now to FIG. 16, one embodiment of the bicycle rack mounting arm510 is shown. In this case, the arm is angled upward to the rear forthree reasons. One reason is so that bicycles will be hung on the rackto the rear of the carrier container. Bicycles for adults can be almostas long as some passenger vehicles are wide and therefore a center mountis necessary. To successfully mount the bicycles to the back of thevehicle and still have use of the cargo carrier container system 500,the bicycle rack must be located rearward of the carrier system.

A second reason for mounting the bicycle rack rearward of the carriersystem 500 is to avoid interfering with opening and closing the reardoor 518 of the vehicle 52. A third reason for the rearward angle forthe bicycle rack support arm 510 is to avoid having an extended tongue512 length. Tongues that are too long are susceptible to ground impactwhen the front wheels of the vehicle are higher than the rear wheels520. Keeping the tongue length shorter by using a bicycle rack supportarm that is angled rearward and upward is a way to avoid such problems.

To implement spacing between the bicycle rack 508 and the vehicle's reardoor 518 so that the door may be opened and closed when bicycles aremounted to the rack, a trailer hitch extender 560 may be used, asillustrated in FIG. 16. In such case, the first end 562 of the trailerhitch extender 560 is a tongue that fits into the hitch receiver 82 ofthe vehicle. The second end 564 of the trailer hitch extender 560 is areceiver that receives the tongue 512 of the bike rack supportstructure. The carrier support structure is mounted on top of thetrailer hitch extender in front of the bike rack so the carrier does notinterfere with the bike rack. The added length provided by the trailerhitch extender also moves the bicycle rack 514 rearward enough so thatthe rear door of the vehicle does not collide with the bicycle rack orother side mounted item as the door is opened or closed. This is shownby distance 517 which designates the closest distance the door andbicycle rack are to each other through the full arc 519 of movement ofthe back door 518. It is likewise the case that clearance is providedbetween the arc of the door and the topmost feature of the carriercontainer, which is the lid 102. Distance 521 designates the clearancedistance of the door 518 from the lid of the container. Therefore, fullfunctionality of all of the back door, the carrier container, and thebike rack are provided by the particular design of the carrier system.

Various improvements to the carrier system 50, 400, 500 arecontemplated. For example, the carrier container 56 may include one ormore internal trays (not shown) that may be used to hold cargo stored inthe interior storage space of the container. These trays also serve toconstrain the movement of cargo in the carrier container. This is usefulwhen cargo may otherwise tend to be thrown about in the container due tobeing subjected to physical forces caused by acceleration, deceleration,and centrifugal forces resulting from vehicle movement. One or moretrays may be used to store the ramp and other cargo, including huntingweapons, and the tray may include dividers for the vehicle operator toorganize the cargo stored.

Additionally as shown in FIG. 14, the carrier container includes one ormore foldable or telescoping legs 550 on its bottom side 74 at the rear.These legs provide added bracing support for the weight of cargo movingalong the top of the carrier container when needed.

In another embodiment, the carrier container 56 may include a recess ora bracket for holding the vehicle's license plate. This may be necessaryto comply with applicable traffic laws requiring license platevisibility. In such case, the recess or bracket may include a light atits upper perimeter for illuminating the plate during the night. Forinstance, a battery-operated light-emitting diode may be used. Thecarrier system may include one or more reflectors attached to the rearside 66 of the carrier container for improved visibility.

In a further embodiment, the carrier system 50 may include multiplecarrier container lids 102 in lieu of a single lid. For example, one lidmay be connected to the left side 68 of the carrier container 56 by ahinge, and another lid may be connected to the right side 70 of thecarrier container 56 by a hinge, by which the two lids can pivotoutwardly to provide access to the interior storage space 62 of thecarrier container. Such a configuration has not been shown in thedrawings. Side openings (not shown) also are possible.

Depending on the particular design of individual vehicles, differentcarrier support structures may be needed. As an example, the heightdifference between the cargo bed of the vehicle and the hitch may rangefrom several inches to several feet (several centimeters to more than ameter). To accommodate these height differences, the carrier supportstructure shown in FIG. 1 may be modified to extend downward or upwardbefore being mounted to the bottom 74 of the carrier container 56, ormay be mounted instead to the left, right, or front side of the carriercontainer, while keeping the top surface 104 of the carrier containerlid or carrier container flush with the cargo bed of the vehicle. Theuse of an interchangeable support structure with the carrier containerwill allow the carrier system to be useable with a variety of differentvehicle sizes. The ability for vehicle operators to replace the carriersupport structure without having to replace the entire carrier systemalso provides a cost-effective solution to vehicle operators who want toswitch vehicles while using the same carrier system, or to change thecarrier system from a center-mounting to off-center mountingconfiguration, or vice-versa.

In another embodiment, the carrier support structure has a built-inheight adjustment mechanism capable of raising or lowering the height ofthe carrier container in several inch increments. For instance, a firstversion of the carrier support structure includes a height adjustmentmechanism capable of increasing the height of the carrier containerwithin the range of 6.0 inches (15.3 cm), and a second version capableof increasing the height of the carrier container in the range of 7.0 to12.0 inches (17.8 to 30.5 cm), so that the operator can selectivelyposition the carrier container such that its top side surface is flushwith the vehicle's cargo bed. A third version of the carrier supportstructure may also exist that is capable of decreasing the height of thecarrier container within a range of zero to 4.0 inches (10.2 cm), insituations where the top surface 104 of the carrier container lidhappens to be higher than the cargo bed. In that case, the side mountmay include a second height adjustment mechanism that decreases theheight of the carrier container until its top side is flush with thecargo bed. Alternatively, a reduction in height may be achieved bymodifying the carrier support structure to adjust downward before beingmounted to the bottom side 74 of the carrier container 56. In otherembodiments, the carrier support structure mounts to the left, right, orfront side of the carrier container instead of the bottom side.Different versions of the carrier support structure may also existbetween the center-mounting and off-center mounting configurations.

The top surface 104 of the carrier container lid 102 (see FIG. 2) notonly allows vehicle operators to move cargo into and out of the vehicle,but it also provides working space for the operator to use. For example,a gardener who is carrying pots and bags of soil in the vehicle can movethe items onto the top surface of the carrier container lid and use thissurface as working space to fill the pots with the soil. However, theworking space provided only by the top surface of the carrier containerlid may not be enough for operators to arrange their tools, work pieces,or other items. Accordingly, the carrier system in accordance with otheraspects allows removable work surfaces to be positioned at the rear andsides of the carrier container to provide operators with additionalworking space to place their tools and other objects.

In the embodiment of FIG. 17, a work surface 600 is provided. In thisembodiment, the work surface comprises a thin and rigid board made ofany rigid material that can support a given weight. The work surface isshown resting on a pair of support braces 602, only one of which isshown due to the angle of the drawing. FIGS. 18 and 19A show furtherdetail of the support braces. Such support braces 602 are pivotallymounted in this embodiment and are deployed by pivoting them rearwardfrom their stored position. As a summary of the embodiment of FIG. 17,the work surface is stored in the interior storage space 62 of thecarrier container 56 (see FIG. 1A). The operator would open the carriercontainer lid 102, remove the work surface 600 from the interior storagespace, pivot the rear braces 602 outward into their deployed positions,close the lid, and place the work surface on the deployed rear braces.The work surface 600 attachments are stored in the carrier container 56below the ramp container and they rest on shelves (not shown) which canbe accessed through a pivoting side door which pivots open to expose theshelves and the work surface 600. The work surface may be attached tothe tops of the rear support braces 602 in some manner to secure it in aworking position on the braces. For example, the braces haveindentations formed in their top surfaces that are sized to receive pinsor other protrusions formed on the bottom surface of the work surfacedevice (not shown). Upon mating the protrusions of the work surfacedevice with the indentations of the braces, the work surface 602 is heldin position for use. Importantly, the top of the work surface 600 isflush with the top surface 104 of the carrier container lid to provide alarge, flat work area. In another embodiment, protrusions may also beformed in the rear surface of the lid that mate with indentations in thetop or front surfaces of the work surface device to hold the worksurface device in position in relation to the braces. Other means forholding the work surface is a selected position are possible.

Referring now to FIGS. 18 and 19A, two rear support braces 602 aremounted to the rear side 66 of the carrier container 56 above the sill108 for supporting the work surface 600. The rear support braces 602 areconnected to the carrier container by hinges 604 that allow the rearsupport braces to pivot outwardly and rearward away from the carriercontainer when deployed, as illustrated in FIG. 19A. The same hingesallow the support braces to be stowed along the rear side 66 of thecarrier container when not deployed. Securing the support braces instowed position may be accomplished by various fasteners known to thoseof skill in the art.

As shown in FIG. 19B, the removable work surface 600 may be dimensionedto fit inside the carrier lid 102 when not in use, and can slide out ofcarrier lid when deployed. Alternatively, the removable work surface 600in these figures may be dimensioned to fit inside the carrier lid 102when not in use, and it slides out of the carrier lid when deployed.This is shown in FIG. 19B.

It should also be noted that although the support braces 602 and 606 areshown as single pieces in FIG. 19A, they may be made longer by attachingadditional lengths to their ends by hinges. The hinges will allow theadditional lengths to be folded inward to be stowed thereby taking lessstorage room and folded outward when used to support larger worksurfaces.

Still referring to FIGS. 18 and 19A, the carrier container 56 alsoincludes side support braces 606 mounted to the left 68 and right sides70 of the carrier container also above the sill 108 for supportingadditional side work surfaces (not shown) for extra working space. Theside support braces 606 can be connected to the carrier container 56 bythe same hinges 604 as the rear support braces, or by separate hinges608 as illustrated in FIG. 19A. The hinges allow the side support braces606 to pivot outwardly away from the carrier container to support sidework surfaces (not shown) when deployed and to be stowed along the left68 or right sides 70 of the carrier container when not used. Side worksurfaces can be stored in the carrier container when not used or storedin their own compartment below that ramp compartment as referenced inFIG. 21.

In one embodiment where a work surface 600 is stowed within the lid 102of the carrier container 56, the work surface is slidable out of the lidthrough its back wall 620, as shown in FIG. 19B.

In this embodiment, the work surface may be restricted from being fullyremoved from the lid so that it is secured in position and will not falloff the braces. A pair of ridges, one extending upward from the back ofthe work surface and one extending downward from the top of the lid atits opening 624 would retain the work surface in the lid, yet the worksurface could still be removed from the lid by sliding it outward untilthe two ridges engaged, then lifting the rear end of the work surfaceupward at an angle so that its top ridge could move under the ridge ofthe opening of the lid and be removed.

Deployment of side work surfaces (not shown) slidably stored in the lidwould be performed in a similar manner as described above for the rearwork surface. Where a lid is used the store three work surfaces thatslide out from the rear and sides of the lid, the work surfaces will belikely be much smaller than the work surface shown in FIGS. 18, 19A, and19B. In another embodiment, only one work surface is slidably stowedwithin the lid.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 17-19A, the stowed positions of thework surface support braces 602, 606 are located inward enough so thatthe sill 108 remains available for use for mounting a ramp 110 (see FIG.1A). This configuration results in a particular advantage in that itemsmay be loaded into or unloaded from the cargo compartment of the vehicle52 to which the carrier system 50 is mounted while any necessarypaperwork may be done on a work surface 600 that has been deployed at adifferent side of the lid 102 from that side where the ramp is anchored.

Referring now to FIGS. 19C-19E, each pair of rear support braces 602 andside support braces 606 (not shown) may be respectively contained withina support brace housing assembly 650. A structure of a support bracehousing assembly is shown in the rear view of FIG. 19C. Although onlytwo rear support braces 602 are illustrated in the figure, the supportbrace housing assembly could similarly include side support braces aswell.

As shown in FIGS. 19C and 19D, the support brace housing assembly 650includes a support brace housing 652, a pair of support braces (602 or606) contained within the support brace housing, the hinges 604 for eachpair of support braces, and a work surface mounting interface 654 or“lip” connected to the top surface 656 of the support brace housing forsecurely receiving the work surface 600. The hinges 604 for each pair ofsupport braces (602, 606) are attached to the inner wall 658 of thesupport brace housing. Alternatively, the support braces 602, 606 areattached to the support base housing with a rotating cylinder (notshown) attached to the top and bottom of the housing assembly. Gaps 660located above and below the support braces provide clearance for thesupport braces to move. The support braces are also verticallypositioned such that the support braces do not collide with the rim 115of the sill 108 when deployed. The drawings of FIGS. 19D and 19E areschematic in form to illustrate concepts rather than to provide featuresthat are to scale or that may be used in generating manufacturingdrawings. However, those skilled in the art will readily understand theconcepts presented in these drawings.

The support brace housing assembly 650 is connected to the rear, left,and right sides of the carrier container 56. In one embodiment, wherethe carrier container lid 102 is designed so that it does not extendover the sides of the carrier container (e.g. a panel lid), the back 662of the support brace housing 652 may be fastened directly to the side66, 68, or 70 of the carrier container 56 (see FIG. 1A). Moreover, wherethe carrier container lid 102 includes sides 663 that extend down overthe side of the carrier container to assist in holding the lid in placeas shown in FIG. 19E, the support brace housing assembly can be mountedthe same by fastening the back 662 to the side 66, 68, 70 of the carriercontainer 56 similarly.

When the support brace housing assembly 650 is connected to the carriercontainer 56, the top surface 668 of the surface mounting interface 654lies flush with the top surface of the carrier container lid 102 whenthe carrier container lid is closed. A recess 670 is formed in thesurface mounting interface to receive a complementary protrusion 672from the work surface 600. The recess results in a rim 674 located atthe outer edge of the surface mounting interface 654.

To attach the rear work surface 600 or side work surfaces to the surfacemounting interface 654, the work surface is held at an angle relative tothe surface mounting interface such that the protrusion 672 can beinserted into the recess 670. This angle may, for example, be 45degrees. Once inserted, the work surface is rotated until its bottomsurface 676 lies upon and is supported by the deployed support braces(602, 606). The configuration results in the top surface 678 of the worksurface being flush and continuous with the top surfaces of the closedcarrier container lid 102 and the surface mounting interface. The rim674 also prevents the protrusion from inadvertently dislodging from therecess, thereby securing the work surface to the surface mountinginterface.

In one embodiment, the support brace housing assembly 650 includes afolding cover (not shown) hingedly connected to the top surface of thesupport brace housing assembly. In such case, the cover is pivoted torest on the support braces when deployed, and the work surface restspartially on the cover as well as the support braces when the worksurface is attached to the surface mounting interface.

It will be appreciated that the work surface 600 is located off to oneside or the rear side of the cargo container top surface 104 so that thebridge plate 94, the cargo container top surface, and the ramp 110 cancontinue to provide a continuous surface from the cargo bed 54 to theground surface 106. Meanwhile, the work surface may be used for a widevariety of things, such as completing paperwork to inspecting a sampleof the cargo while the remainder of the cargo is being onloaded oroffloaded. Devices have been shown to secure the work surface in placeat the carrier container and additionally, vertical support of the worksurface in the form of braces 602 and 606 have been shown. Thesevertical support devices (braces) are configured to extend under thesecured work surface to allow more weight to be placed on the top of thework surface without damaging the work surface.

In another embodiment of a carrier container as shown in FIGS. 20 and21, the container 56 includes two storage compartments, which are afirst compartment 700 at the top of the carrier container and a secondcompartment 702 located at the bottom of the carrier container. In thisparticular embodiment, the second, or lower, compartment is shown asbeing smaller than the first compartment. Heavier items may be stored inthe second compartment, for example. The side work surfaces (additionalsurface features) may be stored in the second compartment as well. Also,in one embodiment the second compartment has a size selected to receiveand store a ramp. Because the carrier container is positioned near theback door of the vehicle to which it is mounted, the hinge between thefirst and second compartments is located at the rear of both so that theupper compartment is pivoted rearward to allow access to the lower(second) compartment. Otherwise, if the hinge were at the front surfaceof the container, the upper compartment portion may hit the back of thevehicle when opened. FIG. 21 shows the operation of the rear hinge 704which allows the carrier container to pivot outward until the topsurface 104 of the carrier container lid 102 is facing rearward. As aresult, the first compartment of the carrier container 56 effectivelyserves as a lid to the second storage compartment 702.

While FIG. 21 illustrates that the second storage compartment 702 can beaccessed from its open top side 706, in an alternative embodiment, theleft side 708 or right side (not shown) of the storage compartment 702may be open to provide access to the second storage compartment 702. Insuch case, a lid may cover the open left or right side similar to thatshown in FIG. 11. This compartment can also have shelves to help storeand organize the additional surface features.

In another embodiment, the carrier does not have a carrier container 56but instead has only a carrier platform. In the carrier platformembodiment, the carrier container top surface 104 exists but there is nostorage area under it. The continuous surface will be provided from thecargo bed to the ground surface by the bridge plate, the carrierplatform, and the ramp, but there is no storage container at the carrierplatform. Storage of the ramp will be provided by the vehicle or theramp can be strapped to the top of the carrier platform. As with thecarrier container embodiment, the bridge plate is attached to the frontof the platform by hinge as shown and described above for the carriercontainer embodiment. Also, the carrier platform will have a depthsufficient for providing a sill large and strong enough to support theramp. As with the carrier container embodiment, in the carrier platformembodiment, the sill is configured to receive the proximal end of theramp so that the upper surface of the ramp is flush with the carrierplatform.

The carrier platform version has several considerations. If the width ofthe exterior platform is less than fourteen inches (which is the widthof a typical bridge plate) then the bridge plate will overhang theexterior platform surface at the rear side. This is not a problem aslong as the overhang is not so large as to also overhang the outsideperimeter of the ramp resting sill mounted on the rear side of theexterior platform. This means that the overhang can be as much as threeinches which means that the minimum width of the exterior platform iseleven inches.

Also, as the width of the platform gets thinner, then the width of theside perimeter of the exterior platform gets thinner. If using aseventeen inch ramp, the side resting sill for the ramp must have atleast nineteen inches of width if the ramp is to be used safelyperpendicularly to the vehicle. The nineteen inches includes seventeeninches for the ramp and two inches for a safety margin. As mentionedabove when using a seventeen inch ramp there must be nineteen inches ofwidth available on the sill, which means the sill must extend at leastfive inches beyond the front perimeter towards the rear of the vehicle.

In order for there to be enough space for the ramp's sill to extendbeyond the front perimeter of the exterior platform towards the rear ofthe vehicle, the vehicle design must have a certain amount of curve atthe rear of the vehicle and the exterior platform must be mounted in theside configuration as opposed to the center configuration. It ispossible to have a configuration where the exterior platform is as wideas the entire width of the vehicle such that there is enough space forthe resting sill to extend beyond the front perimeter of the exteriorplatform towards the rear of the vehicle on both sides of the exteriorplatform. This is the equivalent of having two side-mounted exteriorplatforms mounted on each side of the vehicle at the same time.

Vehicles with a curved design and an exterior platform mounted in theside configuration can accommodate a resting sill with a greater widthextending beyond the front perimeter of the exterior platform towardsthe rear of the vehicle than a vehicle with no curve. Vehicle design andhow much space is available to extend the resting sill beyond the frontperimeter of the exterior platform towards the rear of the vehicle aremain factors driving the minimum width of the exterior platform. If theexterior platform width is less than fourteen inches, then it must bemounted in a side configuration and must be used on a vehicle that has acertain amount of curve. Also, no matter what the amount of curve thevehicle has, the exterior platform cannot be less than eleven inches asa result of the bridge plate rear overhang limitation. The main issuewhen the exterior platform has a width that is less than fourteen inchesis preserving the important functionality of being able to use the rampboth perpendicular as well and parallel to the back of the vehicle. Theissues of exterior platform width and vehicle curvature have no impacton the ability to use the ramp parallel to the back of the vehicle. Italso is possible to adjust these figures by changing the width of theramp to a thinner width which would allow relative reductions in theminimum platform width. Importantly, it is intended to keep the distancethe carrier extends off of the back of the vehicle to a minimum.

The improved system and method described above: 1) facilitates,significantly improves, and adds flexibility to a user's ability todeploy a ramp from the back of a parked vehicle; 2) allows the ramp tobe deployed perpendicularly to the right, perpendicularly to the left,and parallel to the vehicle from the back, as opposed to currentstandards where the ramp can be used only parallel to the vehicle fromthe back; 3) allows the top of the ramp to be level with the vehicle'scargo bed, thereby smoothing the transition to the ramp, reducing theramp slope angle, and resulting in easier use of the ramp, as opposed tocurrent standards requiring the ramp to rest on the interior surface ofthe vehicle, thereby increasing the difficulty of transitioning to theramp, increasing the slope angle of the ramp, and resulting in moredifficult use of the ramp; and 4) allows the rear door of the vehicle toboth open and close while the ramp is deployed in all three possibledirections, as opposed to current standards allowing for the ramp to bedeployed only when the rear door is open and only parallel to thevehicle from the back.

The improved system and method further at least: 5) allows the ramp tobe deployed perpendicularly to the vehicle when a curb is present, thussignificantly reducing the height difference between the ramp restingsurface and the ground surface, lowering the slope angle of the ramp,and significantly reducing the difficulty of using the ramp, as opposedto current standards only allowing for the ramp to be deployed out theback of the vehicle and rendering it impossible to take advantage of theground height increase to the side of the vehicle that the curbprovides; 6) provides a storage carrier container that significantlyreduces the hassle and strain of both loading and unloading the ramp toand from the back of the vehicle as well as the hassle and strain ofdeploying and stowing the ramp from the back of the vehicle, as opposedto current standards which require significant effort and strain to loadand unload the ramp as well as deploy and stow the ramp; and 7) providesa platform having the very significant benefit of serving as an easilydeployable stable exterior resting surface outside the back of thevehicle which facilitates the process of loading cargo in and out therear of a parked vehicle as well as the process of working out of therear of a parked vehicle.

The carrier system of the embodiments shown and described possessesseveral additional advantages. For example, vehicle operators who storethe ramp in its compact configuration in the covered, interior storagespace of the carrier container can prolong the effective life of theramp 110 by protecting it against the natural elements while alsoprotecting the vehicle interior from dirt and damage from the ramps.When no longer desired for use, the carrier system (50, 400) is easilyremoved from the vehicle by pulling the tongue 80 of the carrier supportstructure out of the receiver 82 of the hitch. Additionally, in theevent where the operator wants to apply the carrier system to a newvehicle, the carrier support structure 58 is easily interchangeable,regardless of vehicle size. The carrier system is useful for pets thatneed assistance in egress and ingress of a vehicle and for loading,transporting, and unloading relatively heavy cargo. In the case where anon-slip surface 96 is used for the bridge plate 94, and for the topsurface (104, 72) of the carrier container, and for the top surface 130of the ramp, pet owners will feel more confident about the safety oftheir pets using the carrier system. Pets will not need to jump into orout of a vehicle and may safely walk up and down a ramp.

In another embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIGS. 22A-22K, thecarrier system 800 includes a bridge plate 802 and carrier container lid804, as shown in previous embodiments. In this embodiment, hingeassembly 806 is attached to the bridge plate and container lid in orderto facilitate opening bridge plate and the container lid. The hingeassembly 806 includes first hinge brackets 808, a first hinge pin 810,and second hinge brackets 812, and a second hinge pin 814. The firsthinge brackets 808 are attached to the rear surface 818 of the bridgeplate 802, and the second hinge brackets 812 are attached to the rearsurface 819 of the carrier container lid 804 and to the carrier 807. Thefirst hinge pin 810 extends through the first hinge brackets 808, andthe second hinge pin 814 extends through the second hinge brackets 812.The first hinge brackets 808 and the second hinge brackets 812 areattached to the rear surface 818 and 819 respectively, by any means,such as metal screws or bolts.

The hinge assembly 806 also includes third hinge brackets 816 which arean oval shaped set of brackets each having a hole for accepting thefirst hinge pin 810 and the second hinge pin 814. The third hingebrackets 812 are free floating, that is they are held only by the firsthinge pin 810 and the second hinge pin 814, and do not attach to thebridge plate or the container lid. While the third hinge brackets 816are shown having an oval configuration, they can be any shape thatallows the brackets to rotate or pivot 90° on second hinge pin 814.

As shown in FIG. 22B, the bridge plate 802 is rotated vertically 90°utilizing the first hinge brackets 808 pivoting or rotating on firsthinge pin 810. Referring to FIG. 22C, the bridge plate 802 has rotatedvertically 90°, and shifted downward and to the rear (see directionalarrows) in order to shift the first hinge brackets 808 on to supportplate 820. In the process, the third hinge brackets 816 have rotated 90°so that the first hinge pin 810 and the second hinge pin 814 are nowside by side, rather than one on top of the other. The third hingebrackets 816 have rotated around second hinge pin 814 in order toposition the bridge plate 802 in the vertical position and resting onthe support plate 820. Referring to FIG. 22D, the bridge plate 802 isrotated 90° more so that it is now aligned with the carrier containerlid 804. The bridge plate has rotated on first hinge pin 810 so that afirst edge 822 of the bridge plate is supported by the cargo floor atthe back of the vehicle and a second edge 823 of the bridge plate andthe first hinge brackets 808 are supported on top of the support plate820. The bridge plate is now supported at two points, the rear of thevehicle and the support plate 820 as shown in FIG. 22L. An exploded viewof the first and second hinge brackets 808, 812 and the first and secondhinge pins 810, 814 is shown in FIGS. 22E and 22F.

Referring to FIG. 22G, with the bridge plate 802 in the horizontalposition resting on the rear of the vehicle, the container lid 804 canbe opened to the vertical position by rotating the lid 90° on secondhinge pin 814. In other words, container lid 804 is rotated or pivotedon second hinge pin 814 to a vertical position at 90° and allows theuser to remove anything stored in the carrier container, such as a ramp,in order to facilitate unloading or loading animals or cargo into thevehicle. As seen in FIG. 22H, both the bridge plate 802 and the carriercontainer lid 804 are rotated or pivoted 90° to the vertical positionfor access to the carrier container, yet this is without the bridgeplate 802 being in the horizontal position to load or unload thevehicle. As discussed previously, the bridge plate is attached to thecarrier while rotating, and can be detached as required as previouslydescribed.

Turning to FIG. 22I, the bridge plate 802 is positioned on top of thecarrier container lid 804 and in this side view it can be seen that thefirst hinge brackets 808 are attached to the rear surface 818 of thebridge plate. Further, the second hinge brackets 812 are attached to therear surface 819 of the carrier container lid. The first hinge bracketsand the second hinge brackets can be attached by any means, such asmetal screws 821. Other means to attach the hinge brackets arecontemplated, and in one embodiment the hinge brackets are formedtogether with the bridge plate and container lid to form an integralstructure. As shown in FIG. 22J, the third hinge brackets 816 are shownwith the first hinge pin 810 and the second hinge pin 814 extendingthrough the third hinge brackets. In this embodiment, the third hingebrackets 816 are not physically attached to the bridge plate or thecarrier container lid. As seen in FIG. 22K, a side view of the thirdhinge brackets 816 shows the holes for the first hinge pin and thesecond hinge pin. The third hinge brackets 816 can be a metal plate thatcan range in thickness from a 0.25 inch to 2 inches.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 23A-23D, the carrier system 800includes a bridge plate 802 and a carrier container or platform 840,similar to those shown in previous embodiments. In this embodiment,fourth hinge brackets 832 are attached to the rear surface of the bridgeplate using metal screws, as previously described for the first hingebrackets 808. A third hinge pin 834 extends through the fourth hingebrackets. A fifth hinge bracket 836 has a flat section 838 that liesflat on the carrier platform 840 and is attached thereto (using metalscrews). As shown in FIG. 23B, the bridge plate 802 is rotated 90° to avertical position, and with reference to FIG. 23C, the bridge plate isshifted so that the fourth hinge brackets 832 rest on top of supportplate 842. The bridge plate 802 moves rearwardly and down (seedirectional arrows) and the fourth hinge brackets pivot on the thirdhinge pin so that the fourth hinge brackets come into contact and restupon the support plate 842. The fourth hinge brackets pivot or rotate onthe third hinge pin by operation of the fifth hinge bracket 836 rotatingrearwardly. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 23D, the bridge plate 802rotates or pivots 90° more so that the bridge plate rests on the cargofloor of the vehicle and the fourth hinge brackets 832 rest on top ofthe support plate 842. Thus, the bridge plate 802 is supported at twopoints, namely the cargo floor of the vehicle and the support plate 842.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 24, which is similar to theembodiment shown in FIGS. 23A-23D, with the exception that the carriercontainer has a side opening 844 within which a ramp is stored. Asfurther shown in FIGS. 25A-25C, a telescoping ramp 850 slides on rails852 through the side opening 844 of the carrier storage area 854 toaccess the ramp from the stored position within the carrier storagearea. A mechanical mechanism 856 spans the full length of the carrierstorage area such that opposite sides of the mechanical mechanismconnect to rails 852 running horizontally across the width of oppositesides of the carrier storage area. The mechanical mechanism 856 connectsseparately from its side rails connection to the top portion 858 of thetelescoping ramp in a way that is extremely secure and robust so thatthe connection between the mechanical mechanism 856 and the telescopingramp 850 can support significant weight. The part of the mechanicalmechanism that is robustly attached to the top portion of thetelescoping ramp has a rotational capability which allows thetelescoping ramp to pivot from a horizontal position while stored in andpulled from the carrier cargo area to an angled position when thetelescoping ramp is deployed and put in contact with the ground surface.The mechanical mechanism, which is connected to the telescoping ramp, iswhat actually allows for the horizontal range of motion or sliding ofthe ramp when accessing the ramp from the carrier storage area as wellas allows for the vertical range of motion when pivoting the deployedtelescoping ramp at a downward angel to rest on the ground surface.

Other embodiments, which are not depicted, include the carrier systemshown in FIGS. 23A-23D only having no storage carrier at the bottom, butthe hinge assembly operates the same.

Vehicle operators can simply walk on top of the carrier system whenmoving cargo into and out of the vehicle where appropriate and may avoidback injury due to the ability to stand straight up when picking up orputting down heavy objects on the top of the carrier container.

The carrier system of the embodiments shown and described may apply toother vehicles with a rear hitch, including pickup trucks, work trucks,delivery trucks, mini-vans, SUVs, ATVs, trailers, or other motorized andnon-motorized vehicles. The carrier system can be used with a ramp toassist movement of cargo inside or outside of a vehicle, to increase thevehicle's carrying space for cargo, and to provide a tailgate extensionfor placing items such as those used in tailgate parties.

Also, by storing the ramp outside the vehicle, any dirt, mud, water,leaves, or other environmental substances will not be brought into thevehicle. The ramp is stored outside the vehicle thereby avoiding anycontamination of the internal part of the vehicle.

Although shown and described in the context of loading and unloading thevehicle with the ground, the ramp is also usable to interconnect the lidof the carrier container with other surfaces that may be located higherthan the ground. For example, the distal end of the ramp may bepositioned on the porch of a house that is at the same level as thecarrier's container or even higher. The distal end of the ramp may bepositioned in a different vehicle for transferring a dog from onevehicle to another. Other uses of the ramp are also possible.

The various drawings included with this application are not necessarilydrawn to scale. Instead they have been prepared for the purpose ofshowing every feature of the invention specified in the claims and toconvey a clear understanding of the subject matter sought to bepatented.

Various modifications are possible while remaining within the scope ofthe invention. For example, in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, theopen side of the carrier container 56 may be any side of the carriercontainer, not just the top side 72, and the carrier container lid 102will cover that open side. In the case where the open side is other thanthe top side 72, the bridge plate 94 will still be pivotally mounted inrelation to the forward side 64 as shown, but will rest on the top side72 of the carrier container in its non-deployed configurations, asopposed to the carrier container lid, which will be on a different sideof the container.

The word “comprise” and its variations thereof, such as, “comprises” and“comprising,” are to be construed herein in their traditional sense inpatent law; i.e., in an open, inclusive sense, which is “including, butnot limited to.” The word “comprise” and its variations are not to beconstrued in a non-inclusive sense and do not mean “consisting of.”

The term “ground surface” is meant to be construed broadly and includesthe ground, grass on the ground, a sidewalk, and any other type ofsurface to which or from which a pet or cargo may be picked up ordelivered;

The adjective “flush” is meant to include the thickness of the bridgeplate on the cargo bed's surface. In accordance with the normaldictionary definition, flush as used herein is meant to include “havingsurfaces in the same plane; even.” Flush as used herein is also meant toinclude “Arranged with adjacent sides, surfaces, or edges closetogether.” The inventor believes that “flush” expresses theconfiguration of the bridge plate on the cargo bed's surface as shown inFIGS. 2, 3, and 8, inter alia.

“Contiguous” for the purposes of this application is given the ordinarymeaning. Two surfaces are contiguous if they are touching each other.Thus the bridge plate will be contiguous with the cargo bed when ittouches it.

While the invention has been described in connection with what ispresently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments,it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to thedisclosed embodiments and elements, but, to the contrary, is intended tocover various modifications, combinations of features, equivalentarrangements, and equivalent elements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

1. A carrier system for use with a vehicle to assist with handling cargoof the vehicle, the vehicle having a cargo bed at a rear of the vehicleand an opening through which the cargo may be removed from and loadedinto the vehicle, the carrier system comprising: a carrier containerincluding an interior storage space surround by a front side facing therear of the vehicle, a rear side, a left side, a right side, a top side,and a bottom side, at least one of the rear, the left, the right and thetop sides being an open side and allowing access to the interior storagespace; a carrier support structure having a first end configured toconnect to the vehicle and a second end connected to the carriercontainer, the carrier support structure being configured to hold thecarrier container in a selected position relative to the cargo bed ofthe vehicle; a bridge device mounted adjacent to the top side of thecarrier container, the bridge device having a deployed configuration inwhich the bridge device forms a bridge over a gap between the cargo bedof the vehicle and the top side of the carrier container, the bridgedevice having a width in its deployed configuration that spans thedistance between the cargo bed of the vehicle and the top side of thecarrier container; and a ramp having a first end configured to engagethe carrier container and a second end configured to engage the groundsurface thereby providing a sloped surface between the top side of thecarrier container and the ground surface.
 2. The carrier system of claim1 wherein the interior storage space of the carrier container is sizedto receive and store an entirety of the ramp when it is not deployed. 3.The carrier system of claim 2 wherein; the ramp comprises twohingedly-connected segments collapsible between a compact configurationand an extended configuration; and the interior storage space of thecarrier container is sized to receive and store the ramp inside theinterior storage space when the ramp is in its compact configuration. 4.The carrier system of claim 1 wherein the carrier support structurecomprises a height adjustment mechanism positioned between the first andsecond ends of the carrier support structure, the height adjustmentmechanism operable to move the carrier container relative to the firstend and selectively position the top side of the carrier containerrelative to the cargo bed of the vehicle.
 5. The carrier system of claim4 wherein the height adjustment mechanism operable to move the carriercontainer relative to the first end and selectively the top side of thecarrier container flush with the cargo bed of the vehicle.
 6. Thecarrier system of claim 1 further comprising a carrier container lidpositionable in a closed configuration in which the carrier containerlid covers the open side and an open configuration in which the carriercontainer lid uncovers the open side thereby allowing access to theinterior storage space.
 7. The carrier system of claim 6 wherein thecarrier container lid is pivotally mounted to the carrier container. 8.The carrier system of claim 7 wherein the carrier container lid ispivotally mounted to the carrier container at the top side.
 9. Thecarrier system of claim 8 wherein the bridge device and the carriercontainer lid are pivotally mounted together to the carrier container.10. The carrier system of claim 1 further comprises a hinge assemblyconfigured to attach the bridge device to the carrier container with thebridge device being in both the deployed and non-deployedconfigurations.
 11. The carrier system of claim 1 wherein the carriercontainer includes a sill disposed along a respective one of the rear,the left and the right sides, the first end is configured to engage thesill while the second end is engaged with the ground surface.
 12. Thecarrier system of claim 1 further comprises a work surface: wherein thecarrier container includes a mounting device configured to accept andsecure the work surface adjacent to at least one of the left side of thecarrier container, the right side of the carrier container, and the rearside of the carrier container and does not reside on the top surface ofthe carrier container, and a support device located and configured toextend under the work surface to thereby provide vertical support to anywork being performed on the work surface.
 13. The carrier system ofclaim 1 wherein the ramp includes retractable legs attached at itssecond end which, when extended, raises the second end up from theground surface thereby lessening the slope of the ramp in relation tothe top of the carrier container.
 14. The carrier system of claim 7wherein the open side of the carrier container is the top side of thecarrier container, the carrier container lid and the bridge device arepivotally mounted to the front side of the carrier container with thecarrier container lid covers the top side in a closed configuration andthe bridge device rests on the carrier container lid in its non-deployedconfiguration.
 15. The carrier system of claim 1 wherein the open sideof the carrier container is one of the left and right sides of thecarrier container, wherein the interior storage space of the carriercontainer includes a track affixed to the carrier container upon whichthe ramp is slidably disposed and accessible through the open side,wherein the ramp slides along the track out of the container and theramp deploys from the open side.
 16. A carrier system for use with avehicle to assist with handling cargo of the vehicle, the vehicle havinga cargo bed at a rear of the vehicle and an opening through which thecargo may be removed from and loaded into the cargo bed of the vehicle,the carrier system comprising: a carrier container including an interiorstorage space surrounded by a front side facing the rear of the vehicle,a rear side, a left side, a right side, an open top side, and a bottomside, the carrier container comprising a carrier container lidpositioned to cover the open top side; a carrier support structurehaving a first end configured to connect to the vehicle and a second endconnected to the carrier container, the carrier support structure beingconfigured to hold the carrier container in variable selected positionsrelative to the cargo bed of the vehicle; a bridge device mounted to thetop open side of the carrier container, the bridge device having adeployed configuration in which the bridge device forms a bridge over agap between the cargo bed of the vehicle and the top side of the carriercontainer, the bridge device having a width in its deployedconfiguration that spans the distance between the cargo bed of thevehicle and the top side of the carrier container; a ramp having a firstend configured to engage the carrier container and a second endconfigured to engage a ground surface thereby providing a sloped surfacebetween the top side of the carrier container and the ground surface.17. The carrier system of claim 16 wherein the vehicle has a back hitchat the rear of the vehicle, the first end of the carrier supportstructure has a tongue sized and configured to be received by a receiveropening of the back hitch.
 18. A method for handling cargo of a vehicle,the vehicle having a cargo bed at a rear of the vehicle and a openingthrough which cargo may be removed from and loaded into the cargo bed,the method comprising: connecting a first end of a carrier supportstructure to the vehicle such that the carrier support structure holds acarrier container in a selected position relative to the cargo bed ofthe vehicle; positioning the carrier container adjacent the opening, thecarrier container including an interior storage space surrounded by afront side facing the rear of the vehicle, a rear side, a left side, aright side, a top side, and a bottom side, one of the top, the left, theright and the rear sides of the carrier container being open andallowing access to the interior storage space, the carrier containercomprising a lid that covers the open side, the carrier container beingsupported by a carrier support structure having a first end configuredto connect to the vehicle and a second end connected to the carriercontainer; adjusting a height of the top side of the cargo container inrelation to the cargo bed of the vehicle; deploying a bridge devicemounted to the top side of the carrier container, the bridge devicehaving a deployed configuration in which the bridge device forms abridge over a gap between the cargo bed of the vehicle and the top sideof the carrier container, the bridge device having a width in itsdeployed configuration that spans the gap between the cargo bed of thevehicle and the carrier container; and deploying a ramp having a firstend engaged with the carrier container to secure the ramp theretowherein, the ramp having a second end configured to engage a groundsurface.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of deploying theramp comprises: removing the ramp from the interior storage space of thecarrier container through the open side.
 20. The method of claim 18wherein the step of deploying a ramp open comprises opening either theleft and right sides of the carrier container which is the open side.21. The method of claim 18 further comprising: opening the lid of thecarrier container, removing the ramp from the carrier container, closingthe lid of the carrier container.
 22. The method of claim 18 wherein thedeploying the bridge device includes pivoting the bridge device from anon-deployed configuration in which the bridge device is adjacent to thetop side to the deployed configuration.
 23. The carrier system of claim1 wherein the bridge device is pivotally-mounted adjacent to the topside of the carrier container.